HBO Max Is About To Lose One of the Best Films of the 21st Century

HBO Max’s streaming library has grown with dozens of fresh arrivals throughout February, but with March just around the corner, the platform is already making some room for even more arrivals. The streamer has already given everything from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga to Lyle, Lyle Crocodile the boot, and next on the list of departing titles is one of the best movies of the 21st century.

HBO Max subscribers have just days left to stream Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Céline Sciamma’s 2019 modern masterpiece is scheduled to depart the streamer on February 28th. The intimate French historical romantic drama, which holds a near-perfect 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, is set in 18th-century France and stars Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant as an unwilling bride-to-be and the painter commissioned to paint her portrait. What begins as a secret, commissioned act quickly evolves into a passionate, fleeting romance.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire Is a Modern Masterpiece That Only Gets Better With Time

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Six years have passed since Portrait of a Lady on Fire was released, but the film hasn’t lost its power to captivate audiences. Sciamma’s 2019 masterpiece isn’t just a film that has held up incredibly well but also gotten better with time. The film has successfully moved beyond the initial buzz of its 2019 Cannes wins to become a critically revered contemporary classic and a defining landmark of queer cinema that heavily rewards repeat viewings with an absolutely intoxicating experience. The movie has even been inducted into BFI’s Sight and Sound list of the greatest movies of all time, marking it as one of the few recent films to make the list. And it deserves all of that high praise.

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Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an absolute masterpiece. The movie effectively dismantled the traditional male-dominated perspective in cinema in favor of the female gaze, and in doing so redefined lesbian romance on screen by replacing the traditional, voyeuristic, and often exploitative physical intimacy seen in mainstream cinema with a slow-burn romance focused on unspoken emotion and meaningful glances. That quiet intensity was heightened by the cinematography. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a feat of visual artistry where every frame looks like a painting with Mathon’s careful attention to composition, light, and 8K cinematography, and that all still holds up. The movie is a visually stunning and quiet film that tackles timeless questions of love and freedom and one that has without a doubt secured its place in cinema history.

Where to Stream Portrait of a Lady on Fire After It Leaves HBO Max?

Cinephiles will want to fit in a stream of Portrait of a Lady on Fire while they still can. The movie currently only streams on HBO Max, and its streaming future is uncertain at this time. It’s possible the movie could simply move to a rival platform following its HBO Max removal, but nothing is guaranteed in the streaming era.

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