Respond to these rapid questions in our Loving Vincent quiz and we will tell you which Loving Vincent character you are. Play it now.
When it comes to dining out, is this a truism? You can bet your bottom dollar that the food at a restaurant whose main selling point is that its towering height or location near a natural wonder is a visual feast will fall into the category of a disappointing afterthought if you eat there.
That can also be true when it comes to films whose primary draw is their striking visuals and visual effects. Beyond the wow factor, there is far too often a dearth of substance to be discovered. Take, for example, the breathtaking scenery in the Robin Williams-starring afterlife fantasy “What Dreams May Come” from 1998: Looks are a ten; the story is an ugh. “Avatar” may be the ultimate example of this syndrome, as its eye-popping 3-D effects served only to highlight its sci-fi screenplay that was barely multi-dimensional in the first place.
The ambitious animated biopic “Loving Vincent” does a little better in terms of scripting than the previous two films. The artist in question is Vincent Van Gogh, the troubled 19th-century Dutch painter who absorbed the essence of then-popular Impressionism and re-imagined it with his trademark brawny brushstrokes in his famous self-portrait. That technique gave his vividly hued renderings of the French countryside and portraits of acquaintances, which are featured prominently in the film, a distinct vibrancy not found anywhere else. He appears to have produced work that is particularly well suited for what is being billed as the world’s first fully painted feature film. This rather melancholy and stiff account of the artist’s final weeks before his death in 1890, from what he claimed was a self-inflicted gunshot, is neither consistently riveting nor particularly original in its presentation of the events. In any case, the film at least benefits from focusing on this singular tragic soul—yes, Van Gogh is shown famously cutting off his left ear—whose work continues to fascinate us today despite the fact that the film is based on a true story.
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One thing that is without flaws, however, is the dedication and ambition of Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, the filmmaking duo responsible for this Polish-United Kingdom collaborative effort. Consider that this production required the services of 125 painting animators to create 65,000 oil-painted frames that included 120 of Van Gogh’s most well-known works over the course of ten years, a process that took a total of ten years to finish. If you’ve ever wished that a painting in a gallery could come to life, your wish has been fully realized on numerous occasions.
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Van Gogh’s familiar stars radiate in the nighttime skies, flickering halos hover around candles, a river pulses with shimmery waves, rain falls like strips of rectangular confetti in shades of black and gray, and golden wheat dances through fields. Their visual experiment is intensely mesmerizing to witness. In nearly every scene, bursts of kinetic energy cause the screen to vibrate, as if the screen were radioactive. However, this electric surge is more than just a decorative element. It perfectly encapsulates the very reason why Van Gogh, whose genius went largely unnoticed during his brief life, is often referred to as the “Father of Modern Art.” Van Gogh was a social misfit who suffered from bouts of depression. He would devote the last decade of his 37-year life to following his calling. He produced over 800 oil paintings, each of which exposed his emotions in a way that opened a window into the next century and continues today to speak to us about his life.
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However, beautiful undulating images are not enough to sustain a film’s existence. Vincent van Gogh’s portraits and landscapes are combined with hand-painted live-action footage of actors in “Loving Vincent,” which is presented as a gloomy murder mystery with a sense of humour. This derivative detective story investigates whether Van Gogh committed suicide or was shot by an unknown assailant in this investigation. Douglas Booth plays Armand Roulin, a bitter young man in a canary-yellow jacket who has a weakness for alcohol and barroom brawls. Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth) assumes the role of investigator and narrator. His father (Chris O’Dowd), a postmaster, assigns him to deliver Vincent’s final letter, which is addressed to his beloved younger brother, Theo, a year after the artist’s death. He accepts the assignment reluctantly. It is in Paris that Armand learns from renowned paint supplier Pere Tanguy (John Sessions) that Theo met his own demise several months after his sibling died. Vincent also learns about the history of Vincent’s transformation from an unemployed failure to a prolific producer of fine art from the elder man.
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As the story progresses, “Loving Vincent” follows the well-trodden path taken by many a television and film detective. Armand travels to the picturesque town of Auvers-sur-Oise, where he begins questioning those who knew Vincent during his final six weeks of life. Armand has gained a newfound respect for and curiosity about Van Gogh. Adeline Ravoux (Eleanor Tomlinson), the innkeeper’s lively daughter, has mostly positive things to say about Vincent’s time as a guest, while Louise Chevalier (Helen McCrory), the housekeeper to Dr. Gachet (Jerome Flynn), the physician who treated him, has less positive things to say. She is a religious woman, and she demonizes Vincent, declaring, “He was a bad person.” Then there’s Gachet’s daughter, Marguerite (Saoirse Ronan), who may or may not have had a romantic relationship with Vincent Van Gogh during his lifetime. Before the artist’s death, each witness expresses widely divergent views on the artist. The fact that the gun used in the incident was never discovered does not help the situation. At the end of the film, viewers are left to draw their own conclusions about what transpired.
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It’s clear that appearances are more important than substance in this case, as the majority of the actors are better defined by their vocal performances rather than their constantly shifting physical presences. Van Gogh himself appears mostly in the form of moody black-and-white photographic-like flashbacks told from his point of view by lookalike Polish theater actor Robert Gulaczyk, who plays the artist himself. A particularly memorable scene involves a cheerful little girl at the inn running to Vincent and briefly sitting in his lap while he sketches a chicken with skinny legs—just like her, he teases—as he sketches the chicken. In those few minutes, he appears to be at ease and even smiles for the first time in a long time. A superb score by Clint Mansell, propelled by strings and piano, contributes to creating the appropriate melancholy atmosphere.
“Loving Vincent” would not be complete without a rendition of Don McLean’s ode to the artist, “Starry Starry Night,” and in this case, Kobiela and Welchman do just that. If you’re in the mood for some eye-catching visuals and don’t mind a story that’s a little light on meat, this film might be right up your alley.
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