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Séraphine Send This Review to a Friend
Art is where you find it. In terms of filmmaking, you can discover it in the unusual “Séraphine,” written and directed by Martin Provost based on the story of a renowned French painter. With respect to the painter’s art work, “Séraphine” is a tale of how an important German collector and discoverer of talent became astonished by the art of a woman who was his cleaning lady in the French town of Senlis during the early part of the 20th century. Becoming known after her recognition as Séraphine of Senlis, she makes a fascinating subject, portrayed touchingly by Yolande Moreau.
Moreau is a remarkable actress who was so good in an entirely different type part in the 2004 “When he Sea Rises,” which she co-directed, and in which she played an off-beat performance artist. The change here is astonishing. As Séraphine, she is lonely, plodding, subservient yet independent in terms of forming her own private world that involves taking pleasure from nature, be it admiring trees and flowers. sitting on the grass to watch her natural surroundings or creating paintings that reflect her passion with intriguing and original results.
Being poor, she figures out ways to find what she needs to paint, using her hard-earned money and also copping ingredients where she can. She doesn’t consider her work meaningful and is astounded when attention is paid. She is also very vulnerable to broken promises or disappointments that arise from circumstances beyond her control. In addition, Séraphine is veering toward mental instability, ultimately leading to her being institutionalized with all of the horrors such confinement would bring given the backward an callous treatment of the mentally ill at the time.
Her story is both sad and uplifting, with emphasis on the latter, given the ultimate validation of her work, which has been exhibited in Paris. Ulrich Tukur is excellent as Wilhelm Uhde, the discoverer of Séraphine’s talent, who as a German national was viewed with hostility in France at the outbreak of World War I. The screenplay co-written by Provost and Marc Abdelnour is engrossing, and lovely cinematography by Laurent Brunet helps capture the feeling of the time and place. Capitalizing on this unusual story, Moreau brings to life a woman who wins our sympathy and admiration. A Music Box release.
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