
I had originally started Campion’s The Portrait of a Lady but bailed on that and put this on, feels like a wise decision.
What a weird and unsettling score (complimentary).
The closeup of Kidman’s face in the opera gazes out at Adèle Haenel in Portrait of a Lady on Fire’s final scene.
(Nicole Kidman has a very characteristic “hm” when her characters are processing deep emotion. I’ve noticed it before but it really struck me here.)
So lovely to see Lauren Bacall—for a half second I thought she was still with us. And Anne Heche!
There’s a reveal at the end of the movie that asks the viewer to make a choice—let’s just say that I’m with Kidman’s Anna, I know what I saw.
Truly impressive, and begging for a properly cleaned up high-definition release.
(Watched as part of Criterion’s Nicole Kidman collection.)