At Eternity’s Gate (2018, PG-13)

I’ll start by admitting that, most likely, Tony Curran on Doctor Who will always be the quintessential Vincent van Gogh for me; it’s been nine years (goodness gracious,) and “Vincent and the Doctor” still makes me cry.  Also, watching this film, and Willem Dafoe in it, I never really shook the thought at the back of my head, “They realize he was 37 when he died, right?”  But despite these caveats, it really is a lovely film that makes some interesting artistic choices.

Tired of the “gray light” of Paris, Vincent van Gogh flees the city and seeks retreat in Arles in the south of France, where he sets up shop in the “Yellow House” for the period in which he’ll create his greatest works.  Painting from nature but always as he sees it, Vincent struggles with a world that’s perplexed by his paintings and townsfolk who are frightened by his unpredictable outbursts.  As he moves in and out of hospitals, he continues to paint because there’s nothing else he can do.

Any movie about Vincent van Gogh has to pay special attention to its visuals and this one is no exception.  All the outdoor scenes in Arles have beautifully-vivid contrasting colors, Vincent in his blue coat and straw hat set against the bold greens and yellows of the forests and fields.  The sunlight deserves its own costarring credit in this film.  A number of scenes take dramatic perspectives, taking us into Vincent’s gaze at extreme angles with the light dazzling above us and a haze of emotion smearing the lower half of the frame.  And in one scene, just after Paul Gauguin has scolded Vincent for working too fast and “overpainting” his canvas, we switch to black-and-white and see the shape of Vincent’s painting purely in the texture of his heavy strokes.

Besides these stylistic touches, there are some other neat things going on in the movie, interesting ruminations and touching scenes of emotion.  I really like the scenes showing Vincent’s relationship with his brother, and his fateful visit from Gauguin is portrayed well (even though those scenes get disheartening to watch.)  That said, it also gets pretty slow in places, and after the fourth or fifth extended scene of Vincent walking through the forest with his easel on his back while tinkly piano music plays in the background, it starts to feel indulgent here and there.

We’re here today because of Dafoe’s Leading Actor nomination, and while I never did lose sight of the fact that he’s more than 25 years older than the character he’s playing, it’s still a very effective, affecting performance.  It’s a subdued portrayal, leaning quite a bit into the blank, empty aspect of depression, but Dafoe captures Vincent’s vigor in quiet ways as well, like the spellbound look on his face when he happens upon an impressive vista.  The film also features Oscar Isaac as Gauguin, as well as brief appearances from Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal!) and Mathieu Amalric, who I remember from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Warnings

Strong thematic elements, brief depictions of violence, and drinking/smoking.