Séraphine

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Séraphine

2009

2h 5m

Biography

Drama

War

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

93 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Soon-to-be-legendary primitivist painter and outsider artist Séraphine "de Senlis" Louis (Yolande Moreau) toils as a maidservant in the homes of the bourgeoisie in Senlis, France. For decades, Louis harbors a secret passion for painting in the evenings after work -- one that is discovered serendipitously by renowned German art collector Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur). Taken by the woman's enormous talent, Uhde becomes determined to bring Louis' art to the world -- and to change her life.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Richard Nilsen

Arizona Republic

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.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 29, 2010

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Eddie Cockrell

Variety

A naive, between-the-wars French painter is brought to vivid life in the satisfying fact-inspired drama Seraphine.

Dec 17, 2009

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Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

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.

Dec 17, 2009

Full Review

Kelly Jane Torrance

Washington Times

Although slowly told, Seraphine never drags.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 6, 2018

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Sarah Manvel

Critic's Notebook

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.

Aug 9, 2018

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Jeffrey Overstreet

Filmwell

Provost's film has few equals in depicting the dangerous territory between artistic inspiration and madness.

Rated: A

Jun 15, 2012

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Alain E

A very well made picture about a talented “primitive art” painter in France who had the good fortune to encounter an expatriate German art critic who recognized her potential and helped to improve her life. Unfortunately, mental illness eventually overwhelmed her and she died in obscurity. Ironically, her paintings ended up in some of the most important museums in the world. The movie is very well made. The acting avoids all kind of traps given the subject and appears sincere and understated. Excellent color photography. Another gem on Tubi.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/26/24

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Audience Member

Indubitably it's all Yolande Moreau uplifting the film to the next level.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

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Audience Member

(Substitled) True story of French housecleaner who, at 41, starts painting. Handles mental illness with tact and compassion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/11/23

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Audience Member

EBERT: "I've seen many films hoping to understand the nature of great artists; one that comes close is "Vincent: The Life And Death Of Vincent Van Gogh" by Paul Cox. This is another."

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

The movie is visually stunning. Each shot is a framable work of art. The pace reflects the time and place and her inevitable bad fortune telegraphed just well enough. Actress is superb.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

I enjoyed this French film very much. Movie looked beautiful and the acting was excellent, overall the film is a must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Martin Provost

Director

Yolande Moreau

Séraphine Louis

Ulrich Tukur

Wilhelm Uhde

Anne Bennent

Anne-Marie Uhde

Geneviève Mnich

Mme Duphot

Nico Rogner

Helmut Kolle

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Synopsis

Soon-to-be-legendary primitivist painter and outsider artist Séraphine "de Senlis" Louis (Yolande Moreau) toils as a maidservant in the homes of the bourgeoisie in Senlis, France. For decades, Louis harbors a secret passion for painting in the evenings after work -- one that is discovered serendipitously by renowned German art collector Wilhelm Uhde (Ulrich Tukur). Taken by the woman's enormous talent, Uhde becomes determined to bring Louis' art to the world -- and to change her life.

Director: Martin Provost
Producer: Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto
Screenwriter: Marc Abdelnour, Martin Provost
Distributor: Music Box Films
Genre: Biography, Drama, War
Original Language: Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 5, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $883.3K
Runtime: 2h 5m

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