Séraphine

Like any good tragedy this story is filled with mirth, suspense, and heartbreak. Because it's based on real events we know how is ends. But like many other biopics this movie gives us a taste of lives and events leading up to what we already know.

If you have never heard of Séraphine of Senlis, and I'm guessing most of us have not, this story will enlighten you. Séraphine Louis was a hard-working resident of Senlis, France during the last half of the 1800s and first half of the 1900s. As one biographer put it she was a religious fanatic who walked a tightrope between ecstasy and mental illness. In the end, the illness consumed her.

She is played brilliantly by Yolande Moreau. Her sole Patron during her life was Wilhelm Unde played here by Ulrich Tukur. Were it not for him Séraphine's work would most likely never have been seen.

In French and German with English subtitles this movie actually has less dialogue than one might expect. The scenery is wonderful, the colors are fitting a movie about art and artists.

Watch this movie with someone who suffers for their art.