At Eternity’s Gate (2018)
“Are all the painters crazy?”
“Maybe just the good ones.”
van Gogh, Dafoe, and a Guest Review by the mighty UrAvgFilmFan (aka Umer Khalil) of Twitter and Instagram movie review fame! What more could you ask for?
(Editor’s note before handing the electronic ink pen over to UAFF: We love van Gogh and only slightly less, Dafoe. We aren’t reviewing this one, but it is on our very long short list to watch.)
Ok, on to the review!
This film is about a painter and is like a painting in motion.
This is honestly one of the most aesthetically pleasing movies I've ever seen. Every single shot in this movie is unique and mesmerizing and dripping with beauty and creativity. The visuals are astounding. The film is filled with breathtaking shots of scenery. It is a visual masterpiece.
For me, cinematography is one of the most essential parts of a film. I'm a big nerd and I geek out when I see great shots and a beautiful color pallet. This film was honestly made for me, so I may be slightly biased but, putting that aside, the movie is still fantastic.
The character of van Gogh is well realized and the story is both tragic and satisfying. The ending shot was pure satisfaction. This movie gets into the mind and psyche of Vincent van Gogh. It's like we are living inside van Gogh's head and the camerawork complements that gloriously.
Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse) is one of the best actors working today and this is truly an Oscar worthy performance. The man is so good it is unfair. All of the other cast members, including Rupert Friend as Theo van Gogh and Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: Episode IX) as Paul Gauguin, were amazing too.
The movie felt real and it genuinely touched me. The film explores the mind of a troubled yet good man and we instantly get attached to his character. It's the type of movie you'll either only appreciate or really love. I'm the latter. I adore this movie. The film might drag for some people (at almost two and a half hours), but the fantastic cinematography hooked me.
There are some other small issues like unresolved character arcs and one character not getting enough development even though that character was a big part of the whole narrative. But that's about it. I love this film. Every film fan should watch it.
You can catch At Eternity’s Gate HERE.
Four out of Five Starry Nights.
🌟🌟🌟🌟
Post credit editor’s note:
You can catch UAFF’s regular reviews on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/film515k/?igshid=s1v34yz3awea and HERE via Twitter.
