Van Gogh

Steers clear of all the usual biopic trappings, and thankfully isn't another portrait of an artist as a deranged lunatic. Instead, Pialat manages to capture the complexity of his character in light, subtle strokes. The word that kept coming to mind was "naturalistic": the pacing, mood, scenarios, lighting and performances. Dutronc is superb in the lead, and the rest of the cast is splendid as well. Everything seemed flow naturally, without blatantly steering the narrative towards its conclusion.

Pialat's masterpiece. Jacques Dutronc portrays the best Van Gogh on screen ever. A film of flesh and fury.

For two thirds of the way, this shows how a biopic does not need to be filled with stilted scenes and a clunky narrative. By embedding the events in a rich understanding of time and place, and creating convincing characters, Pialat has fashioned an engrossing presentation of the world of van Gogh, Paul Gachet (and a seemingly fictional relationship with Marguerite) and Auvers-sur-Oise. Loses its way in the Paris brothel scene and those showing his final days, but there are good things there too.

Though this is very much a Pialat film, I couldn't help but think of Watkins's Edvard Munch at times. Beautifully shot and acted, unexpected story detours and moments give an authentically candid feel. Through Pialat's aesthetic, there's enough distance to not feign subjectivity. I can't help but imagine that comes from a place of respect to the artist.

While not fast paced it's not slow either. It paints a very sincere and complex picture of a complicated man's final days by letting events, action and emotions reveal themselves in due course. The performances are pitch perfect.

Viewed August 7, 2021.

# 457

560

Nice of Monsieur Pialat to portray Van Gogh not as a nutcase, but still this film is really dull

Unlike other films, Van Gogh's clearly depicted as *not* being deranged; the result is a solid, austere work which steers clear of any sort of sensationalism or melodrama. Dutronc offers a thoughtful lead performance.

Van Gogh estreava há 30 anos na França. Acho que é minha versão favorita da vida de Van Gogh, mesmo cobrindo apenas os últimos meses de vida ou talvez por isso mesmo. O que mais gostei foi a falta de melodrama hollywoodiano aplicado à narrativa, tudo é muito sóbrio sem nunca deixar de lado a sensibilidade e nos faz lembrar uma coisa que o cinema tende a deixar de lado sobre os sujeitos em intenso sofrimento psíquico: não é preciso externar o sofrimento para que o mesmo exista. MKO.

Pialat shows how a biopic can be made that inspects the life and times of its subject without the usual overdramatization. The minutiae of human relationships are front and center. When artistic ideas are briefly discussed, one wonders about the connection Pialat himself may feel toward the artist.

577

Mostly really good and well done biopic with better than average characters for the genre, though it REALLY drags a couple of times, which took me out of it more than I would have liked. It could have potentially been amazing with better pacing. Still, it's a good film and an interesting treatment of the subject that eschews some of the most fantastical details of his life (the ear, for instance) in favor of delving deeper into his character.

#586

it's well made. there's just a lot of it, and i feel like i''m wasting my life (now excuse me while i spend the rest of the evening watching Steve1989MRE)