Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon

Looking for a drama that respects your time, available in the US on Dekkoo and Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, and in the UK on BFI Player? Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon is a real answer. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Derek Jacobi — one of the stronger performances out there right now. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Dekkoo.

There is a reason Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon keeps coming up in conversation. Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. In the 1960s, British painter Francis Bacon surprises a burglar and invites him to share his bed. The burglar, a working class man named George Dyer, accepts. After the unique beginning to their love affair, the well-connected and volatile artist assimilates Dyer into his circle of eccentric friends, as Dyer's struggle with addiction strains their bond. Derek Jacobi and Daniel Craig lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon came out in 1998. The writing trusts the audience to sit with ambiguity rather than wrapping everything up in a tidy conclusion — it is the approach that separates good drama from great. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Drama fans who appreciate slow-burn storytelling will feel right at home with Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Derek Jacobi is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.

Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon was released in 1998, directed by John Maybury. The full 92-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.