At Eternity's Gate

If you've come to this movie then you're familiar with the story of Vincent Van Gogh. It's been told many times. One of the best portrayals of Vincent was by Tim Roth in Robert Altman's Vincent & Theo (1990). Since we don't have to bother with the story, other than in this unique film we follow Vincent from his time in The Yellow House in the South of France to his breakdown, we are left to discuss style and acting. The reviewers thus far have commented on the director's decision to use a hand-held camera and I agree there ought to be a rule outlawing such shots in the visual arts since they're invariably lazy, pretentious, and cause the viewer all manner of vertigo. But it's not too overdone here, and the technique lasts only just long enough to suggest the onset of dizziness. And, what's more, one can understand the intention of the device in order to put us in the mind of the free-floating consciousness of Van Gogh, and particularly where he discovers that nature releases his muse it achieves a separation of time and space that is the writer's ephemeral state of contemplation. If you are susceptible then this film is quite ingeniously created and achieves a sublime quality in which time ceases to matter. Meanwhile, Dafoe brings to the role a congeniality that has been absent in previous portrayals, and he is well suited to the part. In fact, his performance of Van Gogh in the period towards the end of his life earned him an Academy Award nomination, among others.

I read the term 'boring' when describing this movie. I believe it isn't, it is challenging film but it reveals loneliness in Van Gogh. Almost an outsider to the entire world because he could see it differently than others. Despite reading the complaints about the handheld camerawork, sometimes I thought it was powerful as it tries to show you, Van Gogh's feelings and fears around his actions. The actors did a wonderful job channelling their characters especially Dafoe, he made it so believable

whatever you do dont waste your money. The movie was slow dreary and very little about the artist life in an informative way. A lot of very bad music either from strings or one consistent note from a very old out of tune piano.Very little if any constructive dialogue