At Eternity's Gate (2018)

Director: Julian Schnabel
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac
Runtime: 111 minutes

Synopsis: A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

Performances: 8/10
Screenplay: 6/10
Costumes/Makeup: 8/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 7/10

Verdict: "When I see a flat landscape, I see nothing but eternity." Directed by Julian Schnabel, "At Eternity's Gate" remembers Vincent van Gogh's days in Arles, where he struggled with poverty, mental illness, and artistic loneliness.

The film serves as a great character study of van Gogh, brilliantly portrayed by Willem Dafoe who hit all the right notes when it came to displaying all sorts of emotions, whether it was frustration, depression, or happiness. Dafoe's portrayal of the Dutch artist beautifully complimented Benoit Delhomme's cinematography which, through shaky and blurry images, effectively captured van Gogh's unstable mental state. 

"At Eternity's Gate" fails, however, to replicate that success when dealing with van Gogh's lack of appreciation as a painter during his lifetime as the way it was told didn't feel as genuine as the rest of it. I also didn't care much for the supporting characters who had a hard time existing due to very limited screentime, as well as the ending that unfortunately takes a path that a lot of people might find historically inaccurate without providing any explanation to reinforce it. Finally, the film's inconsistent editing technique didn't entirely work for me as I found it at times unnecessarily distracting.

"At Eternity's Gate" is still a biopic worth checking out for Dafoe's performance alone. Despite its flaws, it also remains a great character study about a fascinating man who tragically only found his long searched recognition years after his death.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10