La Belle Noiseuse 1991

A young aspiring artist, Nicolas, and his partner Marianne are introduced by the art dealer Porbus to the aging painter Frenhofer, who has been inactive for many years. Frenhofer lives in a grand château in the south of France with his young wife, Liz. The conversations drift at first until Porbus suggests that Frenhofer might want to paint the attractive Marianne, believing she could be the missing piece to complete his long-suppressed masterpiece, which was abandoned ten years ago when Liz was his model. Nicolas agrees to the plan, but Marianne grows angry with him for not asking her first before promising the master that she would pose. Nevertheless, she heads to the château the next day.

Work begins early the following morning in Frenhofer’s isolated studio, a space filled with continual pen-and-wash studies of Marianne in different poses as he searches to capture not just the form of her body but the inner character of the woman himself. Over many days together, their relationship fluctuates—sometimes distant, sometimes more relaxed—as Frenhofer makes progress. He moves from drawings to oils on canvas, and one day he overpaints an unfinished study of Liz. When Liz sneaks into the studio one night and sees it, she feels a sharp sting of anger and hurt at the symbolism it conveys. While Frenhofer’s attention remains intensely focused on Marianne, she has the space to reconsider her relationship with Nicolas and comes to the decision that she no longer needs him.

Ultimately, Frenhofer completes his painting, a masterpiece the film’s audience never actually gets to see. The finished work proves too powerful for both Liz and Marianne; Frenhofer hides it in a hidden recess and quickly paints a bland, uncontroversial version in which the model’s face remains unseen. A celebratory party hosted by Porbus follows, and afterwards the changed Marianne ends things with Nicolas, leaving their bond behind as the painting’s mystery lingers.