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 the 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 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 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.
Review by Matt Orenstein ★★½ 1

Did not have the moves like Jagger.
Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★½

61/100
A.V. Club review. Gotta say, Donald Sutherland’s legendary artist doesn’t make much sense, reputation-wise: Seemingly renowned for a single conceptual piece (literally an empty frame) half a century ago, he’s somehow at the center of a forgery scheme involving traditional oil-painting techniques—it’s as if Banksy had produced just one stenciled graffito and were treated like Monet following 50 years of Salinger-style seclusion. (I’m guessing Willeford’s novel handles this aspect with more clarity.) Solidly entertaining otherwise, with Debicki in particular fairly igniting the screen with casual insouciance—an especially canny performance given what we ultimately learn (or don’t learn) about her character. Capotondi strikes me as Mr. Reliable Pro.

Recent reviews

Review by John Tilden ★★★★★

Just a beautiful film. The story is engrossing, the actors are fantastic, the cinematography is captivating and the score is wonderful. I love this film.
PS. Old Mick is surprisingly good. Really.
Review by WildeRachilde ★★

Yeah, whatever. It’s fine.
Review by Shubham ★★★

Bit too artsy for me.
+0.5 for using Lake Como as the setting.
Review by stolenbicycle ★★★

'I paint with no paint.'
To be so rich that no one bats an eye when you crawl out of the bushes yelling about how your favourite colour is blue.
Burnt Orange Heresy is the schroedingers cat of dumb movies. It is both completely bonkers/memorable and completely forgettable. Is Mick Jagger in this movie or is he not in this movie? Is this Freejack? I liked it though, because I miss the days of the 90s when movies were just dumb sexy capers and meaninglessly provoking. There is a third act twist and then another twist upon that twist that is shocking and genuinely upsetting. But why? For zero reason, except to shock. And it worked... I guess.
Elizabeth Debicki…
Review by Matt Medlock ★★★

Witty but arrogant art critic Bang is recruited by menacing art dealer Jagger to swipe a painting from elderly, reclusive artist Sutherland in exchange for the opportunity to interview the man. He’s joined on his slippery escapade by Debicki, who wastes no time climbing into bed with him, but is just reticent enough to make it clear that she’s hiding something. An elegant and speculative slow-burn thriller, more ambitious than the average pot-boiler, yet after the intriguing opening passages, the film turns inert and pretentious for long stretches in the middle (when the intrigue should be percolating), before taking a couple of hard turns in the final act that arrive inorganically for the sake of shock value instead of supporting…
Review by Jenna Monk

I enjoyed the opening sequence quite a bit.
Otherwise disappointed. So much potential.
Review by Philip Schmidt ★★½

Starts out seeming a lot smarter and more sophisticated than it ends up being (it ends up being blunt, obvious, and violent, much like our art critic protagonist).
I like to picture the pitch meeting where they informed Jagger that he would literally be playing the devil.
Review by BulletCrisologo ★★

Fox Movies Asia, 2245
Sana nagsimula sa gitna.
Review by wildestpenfield ★★★★

Enjoyable, delightfully cynical little trifle. Starts exceedingly well (a genuinely five star opening scene), and Debicki is a movie star. The tail end feels a bit abrupt (in particular, it feels like there's at least one more Sutherland scene missing), but gets where it wants to go, even if it doesn't live up to the potential of the first half. Probably overrating it slightly as a result, so be forewarned
Review by valfoy ★★★★

I loved this movie. It shows everything that does not concern Art but allows to talk about it and corrupt the Art itself. Debicki and Sutherland are both the innocence power of that Art. The artist found his blue in the end but none of them two has their justice.
And everything is so sad.
ps. Also there is no place for short people in this movie.
Review by favillaplayer ★★★

Arty Euro thriller with interesting characters, great settings ( Italy, Lake Como) and some ideas about the value of art. It’s interesting how the viewer is forced to re-evaluate everything that is said because new information reveals lies or misunderstandings. Not entirely successful, but worth the time spent watching.
Review by franzonfilm ★★★★½

What did I do to deserve this pain— of a resolution denied? A second time now since Black Bear’s departure at the culmination.
It’s never personal. The story needed to be told this way.