Currently in theaters: “Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe”. Discover our opinion

Passion with the brush

Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe
by Martin Provost
Drama. 2:02 a.m. In theaters. From 14 years old.

After depicting the life of the artist Séraphine de Senlis (2008), Martin Provost this time focuses on the couple formed by the painter Pierre Bonnard (Vincent Macaigne) and his muse Marthe (Cécile de France). And here we are immersed in their intimacy, at the heart of the very particular atmosphere of the beginning of the 20th century that the director of photography, Guillaume Schiffman, manages to illuminate brilliantly. At a time when the Nabis – a group of artists to which Bonnard belonged – were found in Parisian salons, this close couple moved into a country house in Giverny (Eure). Beyond each person’s imbalances, the love of Pierre and Marthe remains powerful until the autumn of their lives. Inseparable from Bonnard’s work, the figure of Marthe occupies a third of the master’s paintings. Her restless – and often naked – body is omnipresent in the film. A way for the director to give us a vibrant portrait of a woman.

Our opinion: PPP