This film is part of Rentals
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Céline Sciamma’s BAFTA-nominated film about the tentative love between a painter and her subject in 18th-century France.
Director: Céline Sciamma
Overview
In 18th-century France, artist Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the portrait of Lady Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) so it can be sent to a suitor. However, her subject neither wants to be married nor painted, so Marianne is tasked with stealthily capturing Héloïse’s likeness while pretending to be her walking companion. Sciamma’s masterly film is a beautifully observed romance that burns with passion and defiance.
Ranked 30th in the 2022 Sight and Sound Great Films of All Time poll
sexualised nudity
Related
Girls Will Be Girls Girls Will Be Girls
Drama 2024 119 mins Director: Shuchi Talati
Teenage romance simmers in a strict Himalayan boarding school in this sublime coming-of-age tale. Winner of a 2024 Sundance audience award
My Favourite Cake My Favourite Cake
Romance 2024 97 mins Director: Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha
Life begins at 70 for Mahin, who decides to shake her life up in this charming, quietly subversive tale from Iran.
About Dry Grasses About Dry Grasses
Romance 2023 198 mins Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Turkish Palme d’Or-winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan returns with an icy portrait of a teacher whose life unravels following an accusation of inappropriate behaviour.
If Beale Street Could Talk If Beale Street Could Talk
Crime 2018 119 mins Director: Barry Jenkins
Barry Jenkins follows his Oscar®-winning Moonlight with an audacious, distinctive and assured adaptation of James Baldwin’s account of love, injustice and racism in America.
Unicorns Unicorns
Romance 2023 120 mins Director: Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd
Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd have created a moving romance between an Essex mechanic and a South Asian drag queen.
The Nature of Love The Nature of Love
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Monia Chokri
Sharp and sexy comedy that offers a fresh take on desire and fidelity in the 21st century.
The Innocent The Innocent
Comedy 2022 98 mins Director: Louis Garrel
Louis Garrel’s unique French comedy-heist-romantic-thriller comes loaded with charm and humour.
Paris, 13th District Paris, 13th District
Comedy 2021 105 mins Director: Jacques Audiard
Jacques Audiard ventures into new territory with a vibrant take on love and Paris, as four characters cross amorous paths in the modern city.
Jumbo Jumbo
Drama 2020 94 mins Director: Zoé Wittock
Love takes a dizzying turn in this disarmingly enchanting psychosexual tale of a young woman who falls in love with a fairground ride.
Deerskin Deerskin
Drama 2019 76 mins Director: Quentin Dupieux
One man’s love for his designer jacket escalates to dangerous heights in what might just be the strangest serial killer film ever made.
120 BPM (Beats per Minute) 120 BPM (Beats per Minute)
Drama 2017 143 mins Director: Robin Campillo
Pulsating with life and pounding with urgency, Robin Campillo’s extraordinary account of 1990s AIDS activism is a rousing, sensual and heart-breaking celebration of personal and political resistance.
Girlhood Girlhood
Drama 2014 113 mins Director: Céline Sciamma
In the tough suburbs of Paris, sixteen-year-old Marieme decides to reinvent herself when she joins a girl gang.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.
The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent
Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae
John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.
Utopia Utopia
Documentary 2013 111 mins Director: John Pilger and Alan Lowery
John Pilger's portrayal of the oldest continuous human culture is also an investigation into a suppressed colonial past, and rapacious present.
The Coming War on China The Coming War on China
Documentary 2016 113 mins Director: John Pilger
John Pilger’s prescient 60th film for ITV is both a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.