Séraphine

The pre-war section of this is wonderfully done, with Provost and Moreau working very well in tandem to create a nuanced character on the borders of sanity. The attention paid to composition and flora is essential and superbly done, providing a lush and still world to be twisted into paint. The problem is the giant leap it makes, across far too many years, to Uhde & Louis' reconnection. The gap ruins to flow of the film, and the remainder feels like a summation, a rush to the pat biopic truth.

A movie about the unknowable, intangible (and, as this movie occasionally suggests, divine) inspiration for art. But, in contrasting the sublimity of Seraphine's art with the destruction it wreaks on her life, it's also unbearably tragic.

An intelligent biopic with full and interesting characters. Subjects of culturedness vs naivety in art, treatment of mental illness, class relations and human connection are each touched upon lightly but always astutely and with sensitivity to historical context. Skilled directing and the performances are top-notch, Moreau's is really great.

Great movie!!!!!! if your an artist you would love this

Moreau embodies the enigmatic painter with impressive authenticity in this quietly moving exploration of the undefinable qualities of art.

Have to re-watch to assess the film-making but the story is amazing... and well told. Ranking based on being a joy to watch (even if the final phase drags on a bit).

It was nice to find out about the life of a great but unheralded painter. Yolande Moreau gives a fine performance as the quirky but troubled artist, while the mise-en-scene shows off plenty of period detail. In terms of narrative structure, it's unfortunate that the film ends on such a downer. The first half was almost perfect, but after her first taste of money it's one long emotional downhill. I was glad they also showed her at work creating, and tried to get inside the mind of the painter.

"In consistently erring of the side of subtlety, Moreau's performance also proves a perfect tonal match for Provost's subtle, meticulous, and frequently beautiful compositions." - Ryan Stewart

Next to Demme's expressionism and Troell's realism, Provost's good film is banal.

This absorbing French movie has a Romantic view of artistic expression and a tragic ending, but it honors the Christian muse of the title character.

Overall a descent film, but the theme about the troubled artist, seems overtly constructed and cliché filled, because we have seen this a million times before. A more subtle approach would a have suited the films style better, in my opinion.

A fascinating film that succeeds for me in two key ways: the strength of the lead performance, particularly the way in which Moreau manages to keep us off balance about Seraphine's motives and interior life. She's recognizably human, but masked by her outward naivete. Secondly, the film brings us to the precipice at which stands the sublime, an absolutely captivating place, but one that's fraught with danger.