At Eternity’s Gate (2018)
You could be convinced Willem Dafoe is a descendent of Van Gogh.
Presentation:
This is a film that makes a ton of sense simply by nature of having a perfect biographical match. Willem Dafoe has slowly become associated with a particularly schizophrenic insanity that makes him one of the most cinematic faces and compelling actors to watch on screen. The spherical ultrawides and dutch closeups in this film along with beautiful colors and natural light give this the sense that it’s Emmanuel Lubezki’s work, though it is not. The French sensibilities are prominent through its presentation, crew and setting in the beautiful town of Arles. It’s a beautiful film with a rocky execution of the storyline, though unfortunately its legacy is likely reduced to a meme of Dafoe looking up into the skies.
Conclusion:
If you wanted to know the tragic life of Van Gogh and see some beautiful art and cinematography, this film doesn’t disappoint. But the story itself isn’t particularly as compelling as its enigmatic painter. It’s not a bad script; it’s heartfelt, tragic and compassionate, but you’ll likely finish the film feeling more apathetic than you should because of the more existential direction. Luckily, Willem Dafoe is one of those talents that you can always center an entire film around.
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Recommendations
La crème de la crème of French originality.