There’s a fine line between artistic brilliance and outright lunacy, as if whatever spark ignites creativity also lights the fuse of mental illness. The artist works, often obsessively and at a furious pace, producing what they can before the powder keg of the mind finally goes boom. Case in point: Séraphine Louis, an early 20th-century French painter in the naïve style. Louis’ life story forms the basis of French-Belgian import Séraphine, a 2008 production finally getting a local run starting Friday at the Tampa Theatre. The film cleaned up at the 2009 César awards (the French equivalent of the Oscars), winning seven trophies including Best Picture, and it’s a refreshing change of pace from most everything currently playing at the multiplex.
This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2010.