 The movie is a biography of the painter Artemisia Gentileschi, but  many major details of her life were changed, leading to widespread  criticism. In the movie, the relationship between Artemisia and  Agostino is portrayed as a beautiful love affair, and the reason  Artemisia is is tortured is because she refuses to testify that he  raped her. In reality, Agostino really did rape Artemisia (and other  women), and the reason she was tortured was because she did testify  in court that he had raped her.