The Burnt Orange Heresy

2019 Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi

You can't paint over the truth.

Hired to steal a rare painting from one of most enigmatic painters of all time, an ambitious art dealer becomes consumed by his own greed and insecurity as the operation spins out of control.

Claes Bang Elizabeth Debicki Mick Jagger Donald Sutherland Rosalind Halstead Alessandro Fabrizi Flaminia Fegarotti

Alternative Title

Obraz pożądania

drama mystery thriller

99 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Allison M. 🌱 ★★★½

"I suppose you could see this painting as a suicide note."
Really liking Velvet Buzzsaw, an art film that apparently a lot of others hated, The Burnt Orange Heresy is the same type of film: it's not horror, but it's not a crowd-pleaser. I admit I didn't love the direction it took, but everything the film was built upon was such a steady foundation.
"That is the power of the critic."
It is similar in tone to House of Games, where the lead explains his own racket and continues to do it even when you're convinced he's gone straight. James Figueras (Claes Bang) is the worst: charming and conniving, intelligent yet utterly base. He persuades Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki) to…
Review by davidehrlich ★★

A slinky but inert Euro-thriller that splits the difference between Abbas Kiarostami and François Ozon in a futile effort to forge both of their talents, Giuseppe Capotondi’s “The Burnt Orange Heresy” is a movie about the value of art that offers little in the way of artistic value. What it does have — in spades — is Elizabeth Debicki swanning around the well-monied banks of Lake Como as a mysterious connoisseur whose sultry exterior may (or may not!) hide another meaning under its surface.
Beguiling even as the silly film around her struggles to square high-brow gloss with low-rent delight, the bird-like “Widows” actress manages to soar above the rest of the action without insisting the material is far beneath…
Review by marcricov ★★ 1

Ironic that this movie is all about art and it literally feels like watching paint dry.
Review by Nick Hernandez ★★★ 16

“It’s quirky details that carry the day.”
I wanted to see this primarily after seeing Elizabeth Debicki’s great performance in Tenet. And she was really good in this too. But I’m conflicted about how I feel about this movie overall. Part of me found this really interesting and engaging. Another part of me thought this movie felt rushed, poorly executed, and could have been a lot more than it was.
Like the twists were great and the main plot points were too but everything in between felt like there was something missing.
Also, it has Mick Jagger in it.
Honestly, I don’t really have much else to add for this one. Positive or negative thoughts aside, it’s definitely an interesting watch.
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Review by Alex Billington ★★★★½

The more I think about it, the more I love The Burnt Orange Heresy. The third act is bad and almost ruins the film, but the rest of it is built upon such compelling mystery and intrigue. I feel like every single line in the film might be deceptive, or a lie, you have to read between the lines to really figure out what's going on.
And for those who love it as much as I do, the film has some serious Zima Blue references throughout the first half. It's a crafty commentary on art and the truth of art much like Zima Blue, complete with numerous mentions of the color blue and a pool. Made me giddy watching it…
Review by julia ★ 1

this was bad. but like, elizabeth debicki is 6’3
Review by dodi ★★ 1

ultimately, this movie depends on whether it is able to sell you the main character’s obsession with art, and that he needs one of Debney’s paintings. unfortunately, i wasn’t really buying into it, so most of it fell flat for me. it does raise a few interesting points about art and its interpretation, but otherwise it was rather forgettable.
(let the records show that i mainly watched this for miss Elizabeth Debicki, and she did not disappoint. also that if she sleepily leaned against me and held my hand i’d die on the spot. ugh, some men really don’t appreciate what they got)
Review by WowMIKEWow ★★★★

“Examine this painting, if you will. What do you feel? Indifference, am correct? You are unmoved.”

The Burnt Orange Heresy takes place in an insular world, and the extent to which you’ll be able to engage with it is the extent to which you’ll be able to get on the level of the people who live in that world. This is a bit of a tall order, since they're all basically horrible. They’re narcissistic, self-involved, too educated by half, and as it becomes clear pretty quickly into the movie, they spend a lot of time lying to each other for no real reason, other than to prove a point.
The main character here is art critic James Figueras (he's played…
Review by Matt ★★

Elizabeth Debicki's second 'so, what the hell is meant to be happening? i'm a bit bored' film of the year and another weird thriller about art crime from Claes Bang.
A cripplingly dull first hour grew into something a little more interesting but by the time the pieces came together and provided an ok finale...I found myself not really caring anymore.
Review by 🐱Andrew Chrzanowski🐱 ★★

☆"Pumpkin, you haven't any idea who I am."☆
A twisty Euro-thriller is somehow less than the sum of its parts, as the very talented Elizabeth Debicki is cast with… Mick Jagger? Yeah, well okay sure, why not? And the legendary Donald Sutherland is cast with… Claes Bang? That's a funny name. He looks familiar. Should I know him?
Anyway, this was showing at a theatre for literally one dollar so that's how desperate places are to get you to see Giuseppe Capotondi's COVID-delayed film, nearly a year after premiering at Venice to close the festival. Was it worth the wait? Not really.
Art critic James Figueras (Bang) teaches small groups based on his book's lessons about truth in painting and…
Review by Raff ★★ 2

If you fell asleep during this movie, its okay.
You didn't miss anything anyway.
Review by carmen margarita ★★★

LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA 76 — FILM #29
last film of the festival! thank god. what a great film to end with. esp bc elizabeth debicki herself can end me.
thanks venice, it’s been swell.

Recent reviews

Review by cinemagazine ★★★

"‘The Burnt Orange Heresy’ draait om list en bedrog, om aanbiedingen die niet geweigerd kunnen worden, om een duivels voorstel waar James Figueras als een klassieke Faustfiguur intrapt. Figueras is een interessant figuur, een arrogante en ijdele man die zich eenvoudig laat chanteren. Elk personage heeft zo zijn geheimen en uiteraard komen die een voor een op tafel. Er zijn volop kenmerken die we herkennen uit het werk van bijvoorbeeld Alfred Hitchcock, zoals de beeldschone maar kille femme fatale (de mysterieuze en koele Elizabeth Debicki had Hitchcocks goedkeuring ongetwijfeld gekregen, al had hij haar wellicht aan de lange kant gevonden) en de ‘antiheld’ die niets meer te verliezen heeft. Capotondi heeft heel goed naar de oude meester gekeken, maar er…
Review by Grant Rindner ★★½

a less batshit and therefore less fun take on velvet buzzsaw
Review by videodrome71 ★★

If I'd seen this at a Sunday matinee I could have at least gotten into the swanky Euro atmosphere. At home...not so much. Debicki really needs to bust out of the rut she's getting into, playing the same ostentatious beats over & over; Bang might as well have been dubbed he's such a cypher.
Review by Cornelius Fuzz ★★★★

What CAN’T Mick Jagger do?!
Review by Asa ★★★½

喜歡的藝術主題但
黛比基如此之美但卻不太能忍受她的演技（閉眼）

且諾蘭一定看過此片。
Review by WeerameteenW ★★

sexist movie
Review by WowMIKEWow ★★★★

“Examine this painting, if you will. What do you feel? Indifference, am correct? You are unmoved.”

The Burnt Orange Heresy takes place in an insular world, and the extent to which you’ll be able to engage with it is the extent to which you’ll be able to get on the level of the people who live in that world. This is a bit of a tall order, since they're all basically horrible. They’re narcissistic, self-involved, too educated by half, and as it becomes clear pretty quickly into the movie, they spend a lot of time lying to each other for no real reason, other than to prove a point.
The main character here is art critic James Figueras (he's played…
Review by Jason McKoy ★★★

The art of the tonal shift.
Review by LaNour ★★★

إليزابيث ديبيكي صنعت من الفلم تحفة فنية لوحدها
Review by Sean Beardmore ★★½

Came for Jagger, but how could you not love Debicki, so radiant. But when there's no spark there's no spark.
Review by Ewoudt Boonstra ★★★

A good movie with bad art.
Review by Kenneth Kriheli ★★½

With the obvious exceptions (Renoir, Lang), I’m starting to think these art world thrillers are in fact really stupid and have a lot more to say as paperback bestsellers than as arthouse tryhards. This one in particular is missing a lot of second-act narrative beats and results in a disappointingly half-built climax. Debicki as anti-femme fatale and Lake Como are very good, Bang looks like he was made out of putty, Jagger is unconvincing as the vile millionaire host, and the twinkle-eyed Donald Sutherland should have more screentime, even though he spends most of what he has on the backburner.