Seraphine

This is an outstanding film based on the life of French artist, Seraphine de Senlis. She lived in Senlis France. When we first meet her she is in her 40’s. The time is before World War 1. She is a cleaner in a large house. She is unkempt. She shuffles along. She washes the linens in a river and delivers the clean laundry to households in the area. She scrubs the floor with such intensity you can feel the energy. She likes to climb trees and after work hours she paints. She feels inspired by her religion.

A German art collector comes to stay at the house. He discovers her painting and tries to sell them. When she has a little money to spend she rents larger quarters and spends an enormous amount of money on furnishings. She also buys herself a bridal gown.

The war breaks out and her mentor returns to Germany. He is unable to sell her paintings

Seraphine goes mad. She wears her wedding gown and walks through the streets distributing her household silver to the houses in the neighborhood. She is taken away to an asylum. She does not do well in these conditions.

Her mentor does arrange for her to have some better care but the film tells us that she died in the asylum.

The acting is fantastic. Yolande Moreau portrays to perfection this troubled woman. No wonder she won an award in France for her acting. Ulrich Tukur plays the art collector, Wilhelm Uhde. He also is outstanding.

The cinematography is magnificent. It often is like looking at a piece of art. The film captures the magnificence of the countryside. The camera allows us to get into the soul of the characters. The colors are often muted using soft tones. There is not a lot of color in this film. The colors that are used portray the emotions so well.

The film won many awards in France and deserves much credit. An amazing film.