Céline Sciamma Admits To Borrowing The Structure Of Cannes Hit 'Portrait Of A Lady On Fire' From James Cameron's 'Titanic'

Yes, filmmaker Bong Joon-ho recently won the Palme d’Or for his film “Parasite,” but you could argue that the big winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival is none other than Céline Sciamma. With her “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Sciamma received some of the best reviews of the entire event, with many expecting her to become only the second woman to win the festival’s top prize. Even though she walked away with only the Best Screenplay award, Sciamma has cemented herself as a force to be reckoned with in the film industry.

Speaking to the LA Times, Sciamma talks about her award-winning Cannes film and how James Cameron and the male gaze helped shape her latest work.

For those that didn’t get to attend Cannes and have yet to see “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Sciamma’s film follows an 18th-century female painter that falls in love with her latest subject, Héloïse. The film tackles forbidden desire between two women and does so with beautiful imagery and incredible acting. And according to the director, the structure of the film is borrowed from another timeless romance, directed by none other than James Cameron.

“It took me a while to find the right structure, even though it’s the ‘Titanic’ structure,” she joked.

And she’s not lying. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” begins with a woman being given a memento that reminds her of a love affair she had years before. The film is primarily told in flashback, but without the sinking ship and Leonardo DiCaprio-ness of Cameron’s blockbuster. Sciamma’s film is far more reserved than that, but arguably much more effective.

One of the biggest compliments being thrown at Sciamma for her latest effort is the way the film shows a love story through a female perspective, without the normal “male gaze” that has dominated film for decades. But for the director, she agrees that the film comes from the “female gaze,” so to speak, but that doesn’t mean that Sciamma isn’t influenced by those other films.

“I grew up in a world where stories and images were made and told by men. So I know this world very well. I am moved by this world,” said Sciamma. “I identify myself with the male gaze, I grew up with the male gaze, I’ve been excited by the male gaze. I’m a product of that culture.

She continued, “But I also have my experience as a woman, and so I know both worlds. So I guess with females, it should be acknowledged that we’re more hybrid. We can be anything. Maybe we’re more free to create.”

Though a worldwide release hasn’t been announced, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” has been purchased by distributors from most territories, including Neon and Hulu in North America.