Film Review: Loving Vincent (2017)

Love Vincent Van Gogh? Well, here's a film painted entirely in the famous artist's signature style. You read that correctly: the film is painted. Every frame--all 65,000 of them--was brushed by a team of 125 artists. Not even Stan Brakhage could have topped this.

Seeing it in motion is an experience worth beholding. As paintbrush strokes pulsate and swirl around the picture, it illustrates a vibrant world where art and history collide. At times, the film will emulate some of Van Gogh's greatest hits as it breathes life into famous paintings like Starry Night. Famous portraits become characters that walk, talk, and reveal secrets behind Van Gogh's life and death.

In this world, Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth) sets out at the behest of his father to find out how Vincent Van Gogh committed suicide. What follows is a bit of an mystery plot, as Armand follows leads, interviews people, and pieces together what might have happened.

As secrets unravel and more questions are brought up, a portrait of Van Gogh's life emerges. Flashbacks offer rich depth to his past struggles, and his passion for art takes the thematic stage. Van Gogh never stopped pursuing it--he pushed for greater perfection, even at the expense of his mind and body. Whether physically tormented by locals or emotionally accosted by family, he embraced the spirit of art and refused to compromise. These are passions all artists can look up to and draw inspiration from, and these are the truths that the film makes clear as it goes on. Even for a guy like me, who has minimal knowledge of his work and life, it's an inspiration.

The only reason I don't grade this film higher is because of the script. Something about it comes off as stiff, and I realize it's because the dialogue is so explicit and on-the-nose that it doesn't give distinctive voices to the characters. As a result, they dryly meander scene-to-scene, spouting exposition with less subtlety or personality. Even though Van Gogh is the centerpiece, he's not the POV character--I really couldn't tell you much of Armand or the other people he comes across, other than holy cow they look just like the paintings of themselves.

Van Gogh fans will probably enjoy the story and themes all the same, and it remains a remarkable work of art thanks to the painstaking effort that went into the animation. I wouldn't fault the acting--physical or vocal--either. As a film, it's phenomenal.

In the same vein as Waltz With Bashir, this is a film to be admired for its incredible animation and subject matter, but it comes off as rather dry. It's still a must-see because, in the end, this is art imitating art imitating life. Van Gogh's life (and enigmatic death) is so full of torment and suffering that it bleeds into his art, and it seeps into this film as well. Vincent deserves some love.

3.5/5