The tragic story of French naïve painter Séraphine Louis aka Séraphine de Senlis (1864-1942), a humble servant who becomes a gifted self-taught painter. Discovered by prominent critic and collector William Uhde, she came to prominence between the wars grouped with other naïve painters like Henri Rouseau only to descend into madness and obscurity with the onset of the Great Depression and World War II.
Acting
Yolande Moreau's physical transformation—hunched, fierce, transcendent.
Cinematography
Her paintings filmed like sacred relics, glowing from within.
Direction
Provost refuses to romanticize poverty or madness.
Director
Martin Provost
Yolande Moreau
Séraphine Louis, dite Séraphine de Senlis
Ulrich Tukur
Wilhelm Uhde
Anne Bennent
Anne-Marie Uhde
Geneviève Mnich
Mme Duphot
Nico Rogner
Helmut Kolle
Adélaïde Leroux
Minouche
Françoise Lebrun
La mère supérieure
Hélène Hardouin
La propriétaire
Serge Larivière
Duval
Léna Bréban
Sœur Marguerite
Sandrine Bodenes
Marie-Louise
Dominique Pozzetto
Anatole Duphot
Josette Ménard
La bouchère
Xavier Pottier
Le boucher
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Yolande Moreau spent months learning to replicate Séraphine's exact brushstrokes; no doubles were used for painting scenes.
Séraphine's work was 'rediscovered' in 2008 at the same time as the film's release—Uhde's buried collection finally exhibited. The timing was accidental.
FR
