At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Visually magnificent, this depiction of Vincent van Gogh's artistry and descent into madness also features a Golden-Globe nominated performance by Willem Dafoe (last blogged for Murder on the Orient Express after his Oscar nomination for The Florida Project) as the troubled painter.

The synopsis on the movie's official website is so good I'll quote it: it's "a journey inside the world and mind of a person who, despite skepticism, ridicule and illness, created some of the world’s most beloved and stunning works of art. This is not a forensic biography, but rather scenes based on Vincent van Gogh’s letters, common agreement about events in his life that present as facts, hearsay, and moments that are just plain invented."

Director/co-writer Julian Schnabel is also a multi-media artist, which explains the marvelous depictions of the van Gogh painting. Schnabel has directed four features before this, and I've seen and loved three--Basquiat (1996), Before Night Falls (2000), and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), all of which he co-wrote. The screenplay was co-written by Jean-Claude Carrière (co-wrote and was Oscar-nominated for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1973), That Obscure Object of Desire (1978), and The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1989); in his 87 years and 146 credits some noteworthy credits are Taking Off (1971), The Tin Drum (1979), The Return of Martin Guerre (1982), Valmont (1989), and Birth (2004)) and Louise Kugelberg (her debut).

The supporting cast includes Rupert Friend as loving brother Theo van Gogh and Oscar Isaac as fellow painter Paul Gaugin (most recently in these pages for The Death of Stalin and Annihilation, respectively). Stella Schnabel (worked with her father on Basquiat and Before Night Falls) as Gaby and Emmanuelle Seigner (the love interest in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) as Madame Ginoux are the women in van Gogh's life, among the several people telling him what he should do.

Shot on location in Arles, Buches-du-Rhône, and Auvers-sur-Oise, France, the stunning photography by Benoît Delhomme (last blogged for The Theory of Everything) will cause Motion Picture Motion Sickness or MPMS for us sensitive individuals (here's the list so far). Jack doesn't get ill from the jumpy camera moves but he thought it was excessive in this case. I did have to look away from time to time.

I enjoyed the music by Tatiana Lisovkaia (spelled this way on imdb, where she has one other credit, and Lisovskaya on the album) more than Jack did. You can stream it on YouTube or Apple Music and decide for yourself.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics, averaging 82%, are much more enthusiastic than its audiences at 53. Not for everyone, the movie has a few long, dreamy sequences that may make some impatient. I loved it.