The Burnt Orange Heresy (Giuseppe Capotondi, 2020): USA

Review by Jeremy Ellison. Viewed at SBIFF 2020.

Fine art, lies, and lust pervade Giuseppe Capotondi’s The Burnt Orange Heresy. Adapted from the Charles Willeford novel of the same name, the film follows art critic James (Claes Bang) who is hired for a scheme to steal the final painting of one of the world’s most celebrated painters, Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland). Shortly before this plan is set into motion, James finds himself in an idyll fling with Berenice (Elizabeth Debicki). In time, James is overcome by greed and power, both in his love life and his career. Capotondi’s English language debut explores the true meaning of art, success, and love in a cunning, satirical manner.

Like a painting, the film becomes more complex as it’s built upon. It starts as a seemingly light romantic getaway on the shores of Italy; halfway through, it becomes a Hitchcockian crime thriller that is neither light nor romantic. Much of the film is spent with James and Jerome articulating art philosophy and reflecting on their respective careers—easily the least engaging aspect of the film. Where the film shines is during its moments between Debicki and Bang, who form a formidable onscreen duo as a couple of equal intellect and stature. Their discussions become gentle battles of wit, each person trying to outsmart the other without ever overexposing themself (keep in mind, they’ve only known each other for days). Meanwhile, the true nature of James’ character slowly reveals itself over the course of the film, as he progresses through his high-risk/high-reward secret mission.

As mentioned above, the film takes place on an Italian shoreline—a mansion in Lake Como, to be precise—so it’s more than often visually stunning. The production design and cinematography coalesce to produce gorgeous, opulent images. It’s no coincidence some frames look like they could be works of classical art themselves. Capotondi’s direction is subdued and mature, prioritizing character and setting over suspense and melodrama. However, the film isn’t completely void of crowd-pleasing crime-thriller motifs. In a polarizing third act, the film fully leans in to its Hitchcockian influence, complete with murder and machismo. This stark shift in both tone and narrative caused many viewers to leave the theater dissatisfied, but personally, I thought it added much needed thrill to an particularly distant script.

The Burnt Orange Heresy is one of the more sophisticated crime pictures that’ll make its way into theaters this year. It has the qualities of European arthouse, with just enough Hollywood to appease both crowds. If nothing else, it’s worth seeing for its amusing, cleverly cast Mick Jagger cameo.