We’ve all been experiencing a little cabin fever lately, haven’t we…?

So have the women in French writer-director Céline Sciamma‘s mesmerizing PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, an entrancing, erotic historical romance told through the painterly lens of “the female gaze.” Set on a remote, isolated French island in the late 18th century, the story follows young painter Marianne, who is is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Héloïse is a reluctant bride-to-be, and Marianne must paint her without her knowing. She observes her by day, to paint her secretly. Revered by critics and fests around the world, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE was nominated for the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, and was awarded both Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm. With Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Valeria Golino.

“An intellectually erotic study of power and passion in which observed becomes observer, authored becomes author, returning time and again to a central question: “If you look at me, who do I look at?”” (The Guardian)

“There are theme-park rides; there is cinema; there are sacred love poems to take with you for the rest of your life. Thank you for giving us the last one, Céline Sciamma.” (Empire Magazine)

““Portrait of a Lady on Fire” obeys all the accepted conventions of gothic romance: In a drafty mansion on a windswept coast, a mismatched couple tries to ignore the pull of forbidden love.” (Washington Post)

“Portrays not only the exuberance of falling in love and the all-consuming nature that is love, but also the beauty of women’s solidarity and the attempt to fit in a world that rarely seems to be made for them. The strength of the filmmaking combined with amazing acting, photography, and music set the jury on fire.” (Chicago International Film Festival)

Saturday, July 18 – Encore Screening!
Doors 7:00 pm | Movie 7:30 pm *Start time subject to change.
Advance tickets $15 HERE | $15 at the door

*Minors permitted in the balcony! Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
**Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK! Please redeem at the door.

PLEASE NOTE: All of the Rio Theatre’s screenings are operating at a sharply reduced capacity. We can’t guarantee availability of tickets at the door, so advance tickets for all screening events are strongly recommended. Our online box office can be found at www.riotheatretickets.ca. Online sales for every screening automatically end 1 hour before any given showtime.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE “Portrait de la jeune fille en feu” (Céline Sciamma, 2019 / 120 mins / PG / French with English subtitles) On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.