History Film / PortraitOfALadyOnFire

* BiTheWay: Marianne loves Héloïse but also mentioned that she once had an abortion and briefly speaks of male lovers.

* IntimateArtistry: Love burgeons between Marianne and Hélöise as the former develops a portrait of the latter.

* ArrangedMarriage: Héloïse will have to marry with some wealthy guy in Milan. Because her mother wants to live in Milan.

* ColorCodedCharacters: Up until the end, the characters are consistently symbolized by primary colors. Marianne always wears red, Héloïse mainly wears blue ([[SignificantWardrobeShift then green and white]]) and Sophie wears yellow. [[spoiler: This is alluded in the final painting of Marianne, in which Orpheus wears a red scarf and Eurydice wears white, making clear that the painting is about her relationship with Héloïse]].

* EtherealWhiteDress: Ironically, Héloïse's loose-fitting, vaporous wedding dress evokes death more than marriage. It makes her look like a ghost in Marianne's visions and [[spoiler: she is ultimately wearing it when Marianne leaves.]]

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. Marianne gets cramps as her's starts up, and Sophie makes a remedy for her. It also leads to the reveal of Sophie's pregnancy, as she's missed three in a row, as comes up in their conversation.

* StarCrossedLovers: Marianne and Héloïse, both due to Héloïse's impending marriage and there's being a same-sex relationship.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Averted. Sophie decides to abort her pregnancy, and this is an important moment in building the friendship between the two protagonists and her. Nobody talks about it in a negative manner. Marriane also mentions having an abortion in the past, which is also portrayed neutrally. This explains why she knows various methods for inducing one.
* HairyGirl: While in bed with Marianne, Héloïse shows her unshaven armpits once.

* LipstickLesbian: Héloïse is a {{proper lady}} in her appearance per 18th century French standards, who also has an affair with Marianne, the female painter commissioned to do her portrait.

* MsFanservice: Marianne is completely nude early on, showing her breasts. Héloïse later appears bare-breasted while in bed with her too.

** Héloïse can't decide anything about her own life, she has to marry now that her older sister has commited suicide (possibly in order to avoid marriage).

* FireWaterJuxtaposition: All over the place. Scenes are often taking place by the ocean under a strong but cold daylight or by a fire, usually at night or indoors. One can argue that water symbolizes freedom and the outside world while fire represents intimacity, community and, of course, love.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Averted. Sophie has to abort, and this is an important moment in building the friendship between the two protagonists and her. Nobody talks about it in a negative manner.

* StarCrossedLovers: Marianne and Héloïse both due to Héloïse's impending marriage and being a lesbian relationship.

--> '''Marianne''': I didn't know you were an art critic

--> Marianne: I didn't know you were an art critic
--> Héloïse: I didn't know you were a painter.

* FictionalPainting: The portrait of Héloise that Marianne is tasked to paint.

* Héloïse's mother, who has hired Marianne.

* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Averted. Sophie (Héloïse's maid) has to abort, and this is an important moment in building the friendship between the two protagonists and her. Nobody talks about it in a negative manner.

At the end of the eighteenth century Marianne, a young painter, is commissioned to paint a portrait of a young woman to be used to elicit marriage proposals. Knowing that the woman, Héloïse, has previously refused to sit for portraits as she does not want to be married, Marianne disguises herself as a lady's maid in order to gain her subject's trust only to find herself inadvertently falling in love with her.

* ArrangedMarriage: Héloïse will have to marry with some wealthy guy in Milan. Because her mother wants to live in Milan.
* ColorCodedCharacters: Up until the end, the characters are consistently symbolized by primary colors. Marianne always wears red, Héloïse mainly wears blue ([[SignificantWardrobeShift then green and white]]) and Sophie wears yellow. [[spoiler: This is alluded in the final painting of Marianne, in which Orpheus wears a red scarf and Eurydice wears white, making clear that the painting is about her relationship with Héloïse]].
* ColorContrast: Due to the above, there is a strong red/blue or red/green contrast between Marianne and Héloïse.

** Héloïse can't decide anything about her own life, she has to marry now that her older sister has commited suicide (possibly in order to avoid marriage).

* EtherealWhiteDress: Ironically, Héloïse loose-fitting, vapourous wedding dress evokes more death than marriage. It makes her look like a ghost in Marianne's visions and [[spoiler: she is ultimately wearing it when Marianne leaves.]]

* SourceMusic: The film has almost no soundtrack to reflect how precious Héloïse finds music in a time period where recordings don't exist and concerts are typically a privilege only enjoyed by the rich. As such, the only three instances of music are entirely diegetic and very significant: the scene of Marianne playing a bit of "Summer" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons on the harpsichord for Héloïse, the women singing at the bonfire, [[spoiler: and the ending scene where Marianne witnesses Héloïse being moved to tears while listening to a full orchestra play "Summer."]]

* EtherealChoir: At the women bonfire gathering.

!!Portrait of a Lady on Fire contains examples of the following tropes:

* ColorCodedCharacters: up until the end, the characters are consistently symbolized by primary colors. Marianne always wears red, Héloïse mainly wears blue ([[SignificantWardrobeShift then green and white]]) and Sophie wears yellow. [[spoiler: This is alluded in the final painting of Marianne, in which Orpheus wears a red scarf and Eurydice wears white, making clear that the painting is about her relationship with Héloïse]].
* ColorContrast: due to the above, there is a strong red/blue or red/green contrast between Marianne and Héloïse.

* EtherealChoir: at the women bonfire gathering.
* EtherealWhiteDress: ironically, Héloïse loose-fitting, vapourous wedding dress evokes more death than marriage. It makes her look like a ghost in Marianne's visions and [[spoiler: she is ultimately wearing it when Marianne leaves.]]
* FictionalPainting: the portrait of Héloise that Marianne is tasked to paint.
* FireWaterJuxtaposition: all over the place. Scenes are often taking place by the ocean under a strong but cold daylight or by a fire, usually at night or indoors. One can argue that water symbolizes freedom and the outside world while fire represents intimacity, community and, of course, love.

* IronicJuxtaposition: it is almost a BirthDeathJuxtaposition. During her abortion, Sophie is lying on a bed where a child and a baby are playing.

* MeaningfulLook: all over the place.
* TitleDrop: Marianne says it loud quite early. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is the name of a painting, by her.

* IronicJuxtaposition: during her abortion, Sophie is lying on a bed where a child and a baby are playing.

* UpToEleven: How this film passes UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest. There are no men except in the very beginning and ending of the film, and they are not named. The only time babies are mentioned is about abortion.

* FireWaterJuxtaposition: all over the place. Scenes are often taking place by the ocean under a strong but cold daylight or by a fire, usually at night or indoors. One can argue that water symbolizes freedom and the outside world while fire represents intimacity, community and love.

* Love Theme: Vivaldi's Four Seasons (Concerto no. 3, III). First played by Marianne to Héloïse. As explained by Marianne, it mimics the rising violence of a summer storm, mirroring the passion of the two main characters.