Fast Film Reviews

Period drama uses the “tortured genius” blueprint to tell the story of Séraphine Louis, a mentally disturbed housekeeper, with a secret passion to paint.   A self-taught outsider to the art world, her works were highlighted by intricately ornate floral arrangements. Sadly, she such is a quiet, withdrawn woman, her personality fails to engage as a character.  It’s difficult to care for this dreary woman.  Biography also fails to shed light on what made this woman tick.  She loves to paint, but no insight concerning why.  She is plagued by mental illness, but no explanation as to what she suffers from or if it can be cured.   It’s clear the encouragement of German art collector Wilhelm Uhde lifted her spirits immeasurably and helped her to become psychologically stable for a time.  This makes the subsequent actions of those around her, a thoroughly exasperating experience.  Nice cinematography, but the glacial pace is sleep inducing.

This entry was posted on July 24, 2010 at 8:00 pm and is filed under Biography, Drama with tags 2008. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.