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"SERAPHINE MOVIE REVIEW"

Directed by: Martin Provost
Running time: 121 minutes
Release date: June 5, 2009 (limited)
Genre: Drama, Art/Foreign and Biopic in French and German with English subtitles
Distributor: Music Box Films
MPAA Rating: Not rated

This film is a French period piece written by Marc Abdelnour and Martin Provost, based on the life of French painter Seraphine Louis (Seraphine de Senlis) and the book Seraphine de Senlis by Alain Virdondelet. It is rooted in real events and can be viewed as constituting a representation of reality, rather than an act of creative expression.

Embodied in stylistically innovation, this costume drama examines the tragic story of Louis (1864-1942), a humble servant who works as a kitchen helper, washwoman and floor scrubber for mere wages to survive. She was born at Assy in the Oise, and as an orphan she spent her childhood watching over animals and felt she was always being looked down upon. Very little is known of her life or how she began to paint. This is a secret she kept from everyone her entire life.

Belgian born Yolanda Moreau, who has been an actress in theatre for 30 years, gives an magnificent performance in the difficult title role of Seraphine Louis, aka Seraphine de Senlis. She is discovered by a prominent art collector and critic William Uhde, played brilliantly by Ulrich Tukur. It was 1912 when Uhde rented a small apartment in Senlis for a rest, and hired a woman to do the housework for him. He accidentally comes across a still life painting of apples. Extremely impressed, Uhde inquires about the artist. He is surprised to find out that it is his servant Seraphine who is the artist. Under Uhde's patronage, Seraphine Louis comes to prominence as a naive painter.

The plot is often represented through a melodramatic code that is complicated by means of a simultaneous fairytale narrative. The beautiful cinematography compliments lead actress Yolanda Moreau's excellent performance. She won the Cesar Award (French Oscar) for her performance in Seraphine, and the film itself won 7 Cesars including Best Picture.

This film is slowly and methodically paced which kept me thoroughly involved. As a viewer, I was fascinated by the art and the scenery used to enhance the story. Yet, at the same time the Great Depression and the World War set a depressing stage for what came to be the beginning of the end of Louis' career. Louis had her first exhibit in 1927, and by 1930 Uhde stopped buying her paintings because of the lack of funds. As a result of falling on hard times again, Louis became mentally unstable and was admitted to the psychiatric ward of a geriatric hospital.

Of course, this being a biopic, anyone who knows the life of Seraphine Louis should know her outcome (so I won't be a spoiler). However, the precision of this confident film is nothing less than great.

FILM RATING (A)