Séraphine (2009)
86%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Seraphine is a well-crafted French film that effectively captures one woman’s experience with art, religion, and mental illness, and features a brilliant performance from Yolande Moreau
Séraphine is a movie that tells the story of a French painter who lived between the wars. Critics have praised the film for its subtle storytelling and the way it brings the characters to life. Some have even said that the film gives testimony to the human spirit. However, not everyone is a fan. One critic said that the movie lacks the poetry or point of view to see its idea through with force. Overall, if you’re looking for a slow, intense film that explores the boundaries between spirituality, naivete, genius, and madness, then Séraphine might be worth checking out. Just don’t expect it to be a laugh riot.
Production Company(ies)
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Hessischer Rundfunk
Distributor
Music Box Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:16:9 HD
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 5, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 2, 2009
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Yolande Moreau, Ulrich Tukur, Anne Bennent, Geneviève Mnich, Nico Rogner, Adélaïde Leroux, directed by Martin Provost, written by Marc Abdelnour, Martin Provost, biography, drama, mental illness, art, religion, French film, box office gross, budget, reviewed by Joshua Rothkopf, Richard Nilsen, Eddie Cockrell, Andrea Gronvall, Jason Solomons, Robert Hanks, Kelly Jane Torrance, Sarah Manvel, Jeffrey Overstreet, Dennis Schwartz, Jon Frosch, MPAA rating, produced by Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Ulrich Tukur – Wilhelm Uhde
Anne Bennent – Anne-Marie Uhde
Geneviève Mnich – Mme Duphot
Nico Rogner – Helmut Kolle
Adélaïde Leroux – Minouche
Director(s)
Martin Provost
Writer(s)
Marc Abdelnour, Martin Provost
Producer(s)
Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (95) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (84) | Rotten (11)
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
What makes this slow, intense film so compelling is its persuasive creation of complex characters: You scarcely believe Moreau is an actor and that the film isn’t, on some level, archival footage of the real painter.
January 29, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
A naive, between-the-wars French painter is brought to vivid life in the satisfying fact-inspired drama Seraphine.
December 17, 2009
Eddie Cockrell
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Provost and cowriter Marc Abdelnour explore the mutable boundaries between spirituality, naivete, genius, and madness, showing how the two outsiders and polar opposites cultivated a mutual understanding.
December 17, 2009
Andrea Gronvall
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Séraphine is a deceptively subtle tale.
December 4, 2009
Jason Solomons
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
This biopic, which swept the board at the Césaires, is somewhat over-inclined to reverence and simplification; but it is also, some of the time, rewarding and touching.
November 27, 2009
Robert Hanks
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Although slowly told, Seraphine never drags.
December 6, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times
It’s great we’re learning about Séraphine Louis and that her work is finally being appreciated on its own terms. But as a movie, this doesn’t work at all.
August 9, 2018
Sarah Manvel
Critic’s Notebook
Provost’s film has few equals in depicting the dangerous territory between artistic inspiration and madness.
June 15, 2012 | Rating: A
Jeffrey Overstreet
Filmwell
Gives testimony to the human spirit.
February 21, 2011 | Rating: B+
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Thoughtful as it is, the movie lacks the poetry or point of view to see its idea through with force.
September 10, 2010
Jon Frosch
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Engrossing, well-shot bio-pic … which won seven Cesars, including Best Picture, from the French Academy in 2008, has a gorgeous antique look and a surfeit of empathy. A lovely, lingering film.
April 2, 2010 | Rating: 90/100
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette…
Plot
Thomas Shelby and his brothers return to Birmingham after serving in the British Army during WWI. Shelby and the Peaky Blinders, the gang he is leader of, control the city of Birmingham But as Shelby’s ambitions extend beyond Birmingham, he plans to build on the business empire he’s created, and stop anyone who gets in his way.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Yolande Moreau delivers a brilliant performance as Séraphine Louis in this well-crafted French film.
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