At Eternity's Gate

The sadness will last forever like he said in his last words, hopefully it won't kill myself either

♡

good

source: At Eternity's Gate

This film doesn't follow the Hollywood structure. It's not a biography like you might expect, and the plot isn't defined. Instead, this is an attempt to get inside Van Gogh's head, and a brilliant one at that. Imagine being the world's greatest artist, with zero validation and constant ridicule by the establishment around you. That's the torturous state of being this film encapsulates and does it with purpose. At times, the cinema language gets more experimental than necessarily to accomplish its goal, but I commend the director for pushing the boundaries of standard filmmaking and letting us inhabit Van Gogh's mind for this brief period. I genuinely felt a loss for this escape from my own mind when Van Gogh passed. I recommend anyone involved with artistic or creative thinking to watch this film.

Lord, deliver me from director's who think they are the second coming of van Gogh and try to make a movie about van Gogh. So awful in presentation and filming technique that I walked out of the theater in under an hour. And, that was before he cut off his ear.

Sorry to say I cannot get past Willem Dafoe's accent. It is really off putting. Reminds me of how Tony Curtis's accent ruined Spartacus. Why was he cast? For his looks? There are many that could look like Vincent. Also he is far too old to play him.

The visuals were stunning...this movie gives a glimpse of Van Gogh from his point of view, which the other many movies on Van Gogh have not done. Read any critic's review and they will describe it. However, I have some issues: 1) The hand held camera is used to show his troubled mind...but it was so shaky at points I had to close my eyes 2) Dafoe's dialogue is in Contemporary American English. The producer said that it was conceivable that Van Gogh spoke English. But the movie did not give Van Gogh a dutch accent nor did he speak in 1880's English. 3) The dialog seemed like it was from a text book...actually more like a sophomore college essay about Van Gogh. The dialog was based on letters by Van Gogh...but it was distracting because it did not sound of the period or the time. 4) this movie dragged onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Vincent Van Gogh's last days in the south of France are depicted in this heartfelt drama by Julian Schnabel. Willem Dafoe gives a powerful performance as the destitute, troubled painter who was not understood by those in his own time. As Van Gogh seeks to express his extraordinary eye for nature and portraits, those around him are either put off, wary or sometimes intrigued. His brother is his only real comfort. A deliberately paced film with a mournful soundtrack, this will leave you in a contemplative state. It does not tell you everything about Van Gogh or when his self-isolation began but it does seek to offer insight into his profoundly troubled mental state. His demons are quite evident throughout the film- everything from his intolerant response to the curiosity of schoolchildren to his difficulty explaining his world to whatever doctor is examining him, Van Gogh is exemplified in Dafoe's anguished face. Schnabel, himself a painter, brings his own perspective in piecing this film together, especially in showing how Van Gogh paints and goes about his craft. The film is not without drawbacks. Oscar Isaac is miscast as Paul Gauguin, the French painter whom Van Gogh couldn't bear losing company with. And Mads Mikkelsen gets minimal screen time in a very thoughtful performance as an inquisitive priest who recognizes Van Gogh's uniqueness. But this film is Schnabel's interpretation of Van Gogh and Dafoe's exemplary portrayal of him and in that regard it works quite well. Recommended.

This film succeeds in various ways: Dafoe delivers a marvelous portrayal of van Gogh, and Rupert Friend offers a dignified performance as Theo, his brother. The production design, costuming, and lush landscapes are all outstanding. As someone who has seen most of the films directed by Schnabel, I find him an insightful, astute director, yet I wish he would have introduced more nuance into certain scenes. The invigorating piano score suffers from an overblown volume at various times. At the pre-release screening, more than a handful of people walked out of the film, midway. I think they were overwhelmed by a dizzy combination of loud music and jumpy, blurred camera techniques. As for me, the approach worked, adding a visceral punch. Some of the dialogue was culled from Vincent's letters to his brother, and Dafoe rendered the text with a vulnerable immediacy. Several roles were aptly cast, but could have benefited from additional screen time: Isaac (as Gauguin), Almaric (Dr. Gachet), and Seigner (Madame Ginoux).