Portrait d’une jeune fille en feu
La premiere chose, c’est que je peux comprendre presque tout le film!
La deuxieme, c’est que, au fin, j’ai pleure plus que jamais.
I seriously was SOBBING and my partner was just holding me gently. It went on for half an hour.
I was still hopeful at the end that Heloise would walk into the studio and Marianne’s face would light up…
But instead the movie ends with a held shot on Heloise’s face as she takes her small pleasure and compensation from the beauty of an orchestra.
Chaque moment ete shot in the most careful way. Voici “le regard feminin” vraiment – pas un mec sur TikTok avec des yeux “sanpaku.”
J’ai essaie d’expliquer l’idee du regard feminin a mes parents il y a quelque jours. I said that part of it was not breaking the subject up into isolated body parts, and rather viewing the characters as wholes. Seeing more than a collection of limbs and parted lips. Portrait d’une jeune fille en feu does that to an (highly effective) extreme.
We don’t even see la figure de Heloise until over half an hour into the film and when we do, it is through Marianne’s covert glances. When Marianne’s gaze (and the camera’s) lingers on Heloise’s hands, it is with purpose to know them and memorize them so she can paint them. Illicitly! By trying to capture her features without her knowing, Marianne puts on the part of the male gaze and reduces Heloise to a flat and lifeless fiancee.
When Marianne must leave, Heloise calls out to her, “Tournes-toi,” and, as instructed, Marianne looks back. Heloise takes on the role of Eurydices as imagined earlier in the film and takes agency, asking Marianne to choose the memory of her rather than the hope of bringing her back into Marianne’s world with her.
Marianne obliges, but the view we have of Heloise in her ethereal gown is too short to really linger over. The door slams shut, and their relationship ends.
The epilogue shows that the relationship isn’t over in either of their minds. Through paintings, they leave messages memorializing their love. But it is still so fucking tragic and had me totally fucked up over that ending for ages.
Still low key mad at my partner for making me watch such a good movie.
Love and deep sorrow,
Jordie