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Halfway through Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Adèle Haenel turns to Noémie Merlant: “Do you think all lovers feel they’re inventing something?” Haenel’s Héloïse and Merlant’s Marianne have just become lovers: the question comes moments after their lips first met in a secluded stretch of the windswept 18th century French coast they’re stranded in. Heloise is a bride-to-be, waiting to be palmed off by her blue-blooded mother (Valeria Golino) to some affluent suitor in Milan. And Marianne is the painter hired to finish her portrait, which will be used to seal the deal. Merlant does not answer Haenel, but Sciamma lets the question carom off Héloïse’s scarcely furbished mansion, and resurface in a final heart to heart, with the young women now in bed, whispering in the dead of night. It’s the last they’ll ever share. They both know it.

Each week within this column we strive to pair the latest in theatrical releases to worthwhile titles currently streaming on Netflix Instant Watch. This week we offer alternatives to War Horse, Pariah, & A Separation.

With the Academy Awards eligibility deadline about to hit, three Oscar hopefuls do battle at the box office, including Steven Spielberg‘s latest epic, a gritty indie from Brooklyn, NY, and an Iranian thriller that’s drawing worldwide notice.

Based on Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel and its resulting Broadway hit, Spielberg’s War Horse centers on the bond between a young man and his horse. With its posh pedigree, this drama is looking to win more than audience attention. [Full Review.]

Oscar loves a good war story:

The English Patient (1996) This epic World War II-set romance scored 12 Oscar nominations and took home nine, including honors for writer-director Anthony Minghella and star Juliette Binoche, not to mention Best Picture.

NEW YORK -- Koch Lorber Films and Red Envelope Entertainment have acquired all North American rights to the French coming-of-age drama Water Lilies (La Naissance des pieuvres).

Writer-director Celine Sciamma's first film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Festival de Cannes this May. It follows the romantic trials and tribulations of three teen girls on a synchronized swimming team near Paris. Lilies stars Pauline Acquart, Louise Blachere and Adele Haenel, and was produced by Jerome Dopffer and Benedicte Couvreur.

Koch Lorber plans to screen the film in several U.S. fests before an early 2008 New York release, followed by a national theatrical rollout. Red Envelope parent company Netflix will offer a day-and-date video release with Koch Lorber DVD later next year.

Koch Lorber head Rochard Lorber and Red Envelope head of acquisitions and distribution Liesl Copland negotiated the deal for theatrical, home entertainment, television and digital rights with Film Distribution's Nicolas Brigaud-Robert and Didar Domehri.