Yes Seraphine of Senlis is an interesting film in which you may loose interest! The lead actress was very good and the filming beautiful (if having extended and multiple shots on Seraphine's large behind could be so!). This said I went to see this film and with a little reading had some ideas on what it was about that got me rather eager to go for it. Well it did not work exactly as I anticipated it would, and now I have seen it I share my feeling very much with the last short comment I just read here; I, too, got rather bored, The frequent cutting of the scenes did not work to well for me as I probably would have preferred something more fluid. The slow pace that reminded me a little of a Chinese movie I saw some time ago "Spring time In a small town" where you almost felt that you were watching grass growing! I also have to confess I have problem with the unpleasant side of humanity, so if your are in this category you may share my feelings. But one can not deny reality, although this does not mean that we have to enjoy it all the time and all its forms, but it's fair that it should be portrayed. I have known French rural life post second world war and latter had a similar status as Seraphine had although I was one of the rare person in my category to have been treated as a member of the family I was working for. However I remember others sleeping in some niche in the farm and having their meals in a back room by themselves and eating mostly left overs. I also have a mental-health worker's background here in Australia that started in the early 70's when much improvement came in this area. So, as I watched this movie, there was a fair amount of thoughts that went through my mind. I have to concede, that "entertainment" does not necessarily mean to have pleasant feelings, it can also be interesting or informative. This movie should not come under the "spoilers" rule as it's not a "who done it" and for my own appreciation, I wish I knew a lot more about it than I did. I'm very thankful for a couple of comments so well written I read here that in some ways makes me appreciate 'Seraphine' more than I managed to do at the viewing. I thought the German actor has something familiar about him I could not retrace, and thanks to IMDb I know now he was one of the main characters in what for me was one of the best movies I have ever seen "The Life of Others". I can imagine that having some affinity to painting would add some interest to the enjoyment. Having said all this I certainly don't regret my attendance.
Seraphine
(2008)
An interesting story in which you may loose interest
17 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers