Summary
A portrait of Vincent Van Gough in his final, spiraling years.
My Thoughts
At Eternity’s Gate begins with following Vincent Van Gough as he talks with a woman, asking her, almost frantic to paint her, claiming he is a painter, but something is wrong, his demeanor and canter are terribly off, but the scene cuts, and we the audience are left with the question, “who was Vincent Van Gough?” Roll title card.
This film isn’t quite a biopic, as we don’t see Van Gough’s upbringing backstory, or why he is so tormented, there are only hints in the dialogue as to diagnose what manic disorder he had. Instead we follow the renowned painter in his final years, traveling across the gorgeous landscapes of France, finding his calling, as he states, “painting is the only gift God has given to me.” But slowly something is eating him away, rearranging his wires, a dark spirit as he claims, and with no modern medicine, his madness envelops him.
The film is beautifully, and artfully told, it has an almost “Tree of Life” majestic quality to it, with some shots wandering with the wind, the nature, but at other times, the cinematography is chaotic, jarring, and claustrophobic, it’s bold, and it works with the context of the subject. Any time Van Gough is in crises, the camerawork follows suit. Most of the time the ambitions reach their mark, but with a few mishaps the camerawork can be a bit too distracting which unfortunately draws away from the artistic nature that is being displayed. It’s a patient movie that takes it’s time moving the narrative forward, but it’s always engaging, the scenery is gorgeous, and as if it were one of Van Gough’s paintings, it’s filled with pain and beauty.
The film is led with a commanding performance from the always stellar Willem Dafoe, bleeding his own art into the role, Dafoe becomes the tormented painter, everything from the exactness of his dialect, to even learning how to paint, it’s nothing short of incredible, a fantastic character study so late in an already veteran career, an award winning performance to say the least. Although the film is very aesthetically pleasing, it feels the director may have exceeded their grasp in making a truly impactful ending, the climax is missing a certain catharsis that should come with such an emotional story, but the film is too focused on it’s aesthetic to truly bring the emotion into full fruition.
Overall At Eternity’s Gate is a mature watch, full of sweeping cinematography, engaging characters, and one hell of a performance from Willem Dafoe. The film almost reaches all of its ambitions, and the ones that don’t quite hit aren’t too detrimental to the overall quality of the picture. It takes its time establishing itself, but once it starts moving, you’ll be engaged until the end. I give At Eternity’s Gate 4 out of 5 stars.
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