Séraphine 2008

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture: Seraphine is one of the most evocative films about an artist I've ever seen -- and in its treatment of madness one of the least condescending. Read more

Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times: The film belongs to Moreau. Half-derided, half-protected by her village neighbors, her Seraphine is dowdy, willful, gruff, determined: a blend of singing mystic and muttering madwoman. Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: Seraphine is far more powerful when it lingers on Louis at work. Her canvases -- mostly nature studies -- were cluttered with colorful shapes and filigree, clearly arranged by an obsessive personality. Read more

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. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Seraphine may be one of the spookiest, most unsettling films ever made about the hazy line between art and madness. That's a theme the movies have done to death, yet it finds new life in the title performance by Yolande Moreau. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: The long French tradition of thoughtful, intelligent films of quality for adults is alive and well here, and that is reason to rejoice. Read more

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. Read more

Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: Moreau is bewitching -- she simply breathes her role, without a hint of vanity. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: It's also a comforting story that allows us to elevate the notion of purity above success. Read more

Bob Mondello, NPR: Yolande Moreau's Seraphine, all doughy and unreadable at first, lets you see how the passion that enriches her work might also upend her life. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: French filmmaker Martin Provost's fictionalized biopic Seraphine introduces the painter to generations that never knew her. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: The film is a commendably worthy endeavor, and I am almost ashamed that my ingrained hedonistic attitude toward movies prevents me from recommending Seraphine more enthusiastically. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Yolande Moreau plays the industrious but touched washerwoman-turned-painter Seraphine de Senlis with an open-faced conviction that is almost unnerving in its intensity. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: The character's fleeting success in the art world, her moody naivete and childlike reverence for both the natural and religious worlds, is conveyed with such tenderness and totality that it's almost heartbreaking to behold. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The characterization is deft, the acting is superb, and the production values are high. If there's a dryness to the way the story is told, that's because director Martin Provost has shifted his focus toward intellectual, not emotional, satisfaction. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Seraphine arrives from France as the year's most honored film, winner of seven Cesars from the French Academy, including best film and best actress. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The triumph and fascination of Yolande Moreau's performance as the French painter Seraphine de Senlis (1864-1942) is in the way she makes us believe -- completely and without questioning -- that Seraphine is some kind of divine vessel. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Seraphine is rare in its sympathetic focus on a laborer, yet refined in its execution. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: Yolande Moreau is a revelation in the title role; a part she plays without vanity and sneaking humour. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Director Martin Provost has brought the true story of Seraphine de Senlis to to the screen with elegant simplicity. A gorgeous film to watch, thanks to cinematographer Laurent Brunet, the pastoral settings are especially satisfying. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: This utterly beguiling biopic about a cleaning lady with the artistic gifts of a Van Gogh is just a bit special. Read more

Stanley Kauffmann, The New Republic: Provost has made a picture that is almost biblical in its simplicity and its passion. Read more

Eddie Cockrell, Variety: A naive, between-the-wars French painter is brought to vivid life in the satisfying fact-inspired drama Seraphine. Read more

Ella Taylor, Village Voice: Lyrical but bracing. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: To look at the almost religious ecstasy on Moreau's face is to feel the artist's passion and be inspired by it. Read more