(spoiler free)
With the paint barely dry from the exquisite ‘Loving Vincent’ that audiences were treated to only a couple of years ago we’ve arrived at the release of new Vincent van Gogh biopic, ‘At Eternity’s Gate’. Starring Willem Dafoe as the famous painter, and earning him a Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards, the film looks at the final years of van Gogh’s life & work.
Director Julian Schnabel films ‘At Eternity’s Gate’ in a disorientating fashion. He’s like a kid with a new toy, and that toy is the camera. He experiments with angles and points of view in what feels like a trial run for numerous scenes. He never settles though and rather than streamlining his techniques he instead chooses to include them all. The result gives the film a misplaced, home video style feel to it or something akin to a found footage horror film. Either way this method doesn’t feel appropriate for this drama and instead all it does is make it harder for viewers to engage with the narrative, creating an unwelcome disconnect between the film and its audience. Tatiana Lisovskaya’s musical score for the film at least somewhat distracts from the bizarre filming thanks to its transportive and immersive qualities. It goes a long way in building the film some much needed momentum. However, this is always short lived as the abrupt cuts used when more narrative drama is ready to take centre stage again disrupts the flow entirely, resulting in a rather jarring viewing experience.
The saving grace of this film, as it was always going to be, is Willem Dafoe’s leading turn as van Gogh. His remarkable physical likeness aside he portrays the talented & troubled painter very well, giving the screenplay’s attempts to delve into his character real depth and heart. His performance can’t quite excuse the rest of the film though, nor can the efforts of his supporting cast who really don’t get a chance to leave any lasting impact. The story does feature some intriguing moments. The way it explores van Gogh’s perspective on art & painting is fascinating and maybe the standout scene of the film is when he tries to explain why he cut his ear off. Despite these glimpses of compelling content they just aren’t enough to sustain the run time of the film, leaving the end result as a dull cinematic experience. When looking at the life and times of such a creative individual this should not be the way in which to remember or celebrate him.
It’s not surprising that the only awards attention ‘At Eternity’s Gate’ attracted was for Dafoe’s excellent lead performance. The film feels more like a practice sketch than a finished masterpiece. Released in the shadow of ‘Loving Vincent’ has done the film no favours either. With van Gogh having just been celebrated in such a beautiful, creative and captivating way ‘At Eternity’s Gate’ is more than a few brushstrokes away from presenting a worthy cinematic canvas.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 4/10
Question: What is your favourite Willem Dafoe film performance?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)
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