At Eternity's Gate

Audience Reviews

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Nick R @NocturnalWalrus Mar 30 A tragic, yet poetic look at Van Gogh's life. Thanks to Willem Dafoe giving a great performance and some unique filming choices that help portray the view and working mind of the man himself. See more Griffith J @griffithxjohnson Mar 9 Dafoe is such a great casting choice & is always such a pleasure to watch, even if this is rather boring. Shot almost like a documentary with closeup, handheld, & POV shots that are immersive yet jarring. The idea that your life’s work is not for present people but a future history is powerful. Mikkelsen has a single scene & it’s the best one where a great actor runs away with great dialogue. The score is soring & there is pretty cinematography yet its purpose is to show the mental state of van Gogh & the abstract presentation does not make for an enjoyable watch. See more To F @Frannko Jan 29 Tienen tanta filosofía y tanto color. Es preciosa. Los movimientos de la cámara, tan bruscos, a veces aburren, pero en ocasiones quedan tan perfectos. Es muy buena. See more Emmanuel V @RT46118221 Oct 29 La película está excelente, como muchas personas dicen el enfoque de cámara y una que otra banda sonora te hace sentir raro o no cuadra del todo pero la película es una carta de amor y transmite completamente como veía van Gogh la vida, cada momento te hace empatizar con el y volver a ver una obra de van Gogh después de ver está película te hace mirarla con otros ojos See more Kevin P @RT55971421 Oct 13 An intimate deep dive into Vincent Van Gogh's unique perspective of life and how he battles his mental illness through his art. Willem Dafoe may have been 26 years older than Van Gogh at the time of filming, but he blew me away with his performance. He brings so much passion and subtle emotion into the role and really helps the audience place ourselves into Van Gogh's psyche at the time. Oscar Isaac and Mads Mikkelson are also great as the brash artist and concerned priest respectively. There is a lot of awkward shaky-cam, but I'd argue it still works as it creates a very dreamlike feeling for the movie. The cinematography was effective and thoughtfully shot on-site in southern France, where Van Gogh originally painted. It's fascinating watching Van Gogh's point of view and how he gets inspiration for his paintings from everyday things. I loved the debate about the confines of what defines good painting as Van Gogh's art is painted in "one good stroke", which may come across more like a sculpture than a painting. However, this is distinctly his own unique style that gave birth to modern stylistic art as we know it. I loved the pretty low angles views of trees and nature as Van Gogh walked through nature to find inspiration. The film has an interesting conversation where Van Gogh discusses Shakespeare's appeal to mystery & interpretation, while the bar maiden prefers more accessible and easily digestible stories to read. The film is scored with a very sweet and somber gentle piano soundtrack. You feel so bad for Van Gogh with all the cold apathy and mockery he endures from the local townsfolk, even from a group of school children and their teacher. There's a great scene of rejection sensitivity dysphoria where the negative lines said by someone else repeat over and over in your head. The film doesn't shy away from or sugarcoat the rougher sides of Van Gogh's manic episodes. But it still enlightens us to the methods of his inspirations and joys. How Van Gogh adores nature, as it calms him down whenever he's overstimulated. As he paints to "stop thinking". There's another great scene where Van Gogh talks about his paintings where he sows for another generation to harvest, much like Jesus who only became famous after death. The movie plays around with the vague idea whether Van Gogh's death was manslaughter or from taking his own life, leaning more towards the former. The movie certainly isn't for everyone with its loose structure and experimental camera work. But I personally really connected with its theming about how we channel our best and worst emotions through our passions, and it's so satisfying to see Willem DaFoe in the lead role again. See more Dylan S. @DSleight Aug 22 I found the Dafoe’s portrayal of Van Gogh captivating, and very well complicated by the cinematography. The visuals are stunning, and the story is compelling . The soundtrack makes you feel like you’re in a dream or a novel. See more Read all reviews

At Eternity's Gate

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