Set against the backdrop of the art world in Milan and Lake Como, The Burnt Orange Heresy has all the classic elements of a sleek neo-noir thriller—romance, greed, and ambition; performances by an international cast that includes none other than Mick Jagger (this is his seventh film); and, for good measure, a Hitchcockian plot twist.
Adapted from Charles Willeford’s 1971 novel of the same name, the drama centers around European art critic James Figueras (played by The Affair actor Claes Bang) and his American fling of the moment (Elizabeth Debicki). They are invited to the home of wealthy British art collector Joseph Cassidy (Jagger) to meet the reclusive artist-in-residence Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland), and trouble ensues.
