138. At Eternity's Gate; movie review

AT ETERNITY'S GATE
Cert 12A
111 mins
BBFC advice: Contains brief moderate threat

It is true that Willem Dafoe is a very fine actor and that he is supported by a brilliant cast in At Eternity's Gate.
However, I have seen so many retellings of Vincent Van Gogh's life story that I found little new in Julian Schnabel's film.
Sure, I am still a tad surprised at how little value was put on Van Gogh's paintings during his lifetime in the context of the tens of millions of dollars they are now worth.
But it took follow-up reading to enlighten me into the possibility that the Dutch painter didn't chop his own ear off after all.
The alleged culprit, Van Gogh's friend, French artist Paul Gauguin (Oscar Isaac), is portrayed in At Eternity's Gate but their erratic relationship doesn't come fully under the microscope.
Interestingly, the film's director Julian Schnabel was better known for his own paintings before he became a film director who had success with Before Night Falls and the superb The Diving Bell And The Butterfly.
Consequently, At Eternity's Gate looks great but, in my opinion, it meanders too much.
This is a film of painting and conversation rather than having the spikes of excitement which were seen in Loving Vincent in 2017.
Dafoe's Oscar nomination reflects how much he excels (when doesn't he?) as the movie's subject and is supported by top actors who include Rupert Friend as his brother and benefactor, Theo, and Mads Mikkelsen as his priest and Mathieu Amalric as his doctor.
Unfortunately, the others don't have much of an opportunity to show off their great talents because of the concentration of Van Gogh, his mental health and his work.
As said, it is remarkable that so little was thought of the latter while he lived by comparison to the posthumous reverence.
But we knew that already. I am now left wondering when no more will remain to be said about him. At Eternity's Gate gave me the impression that time may have already arrived.

Reasons to watch: Oscar-nominated performance by Willem Dafoe
Reasons to avoid: Lots of art, not enough focus

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Did you know? Hans Kaufmann and Rita Wildegans in their 2009 book, "Pact of Silence," postulate that Van Gogh did not cut off his own ear but that it was sliced off by fellow artist Paul Gauguin with a sword during a dispute between the great friends.

The final word. Julian Schnabel: "It was very important to me to not make a biography. I know more than most people know about painting because I spent most of my life thinking about it, looking at it, and doing it. So this opened up possibilities: how did he make those paintings? How do you do that? How far away from society did he have to get in order to do that? And how much did he need nature?"

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