Dir. Dorota Kobiela & Hugh Welchman (trailer)
Loving Vincent tells the story of Vincent van Gogh's final days through the eyes of a young man sent to deliver van Gogh's final letter to his brother Theo. Upon venturing to the town where van Gogh killed himself, the young man Armand (Douglas Booth) begins to question how van Gogh really died and sets out to uncover the truth by interviewing local townspeople and following in Vincent's footsteps.
What makes the film really special is that the entire movie is hand painted by over 100 artists to look like van Gogh's paintings through the process of rotoscoping, which took the team over 6 years to complete. Characters in the film are made up of real people who personally knew Vincent, as well as characters inspired by his paintings. The film's art style has constantly moving brush strokes that create the appearance of stop motion animation; scenes are easily recognizable as being directly influenced by van Gogh's own works. Additionally, actors like Saoirse Ronan, Chris O'Dowd, and Helen McCrory, acted out the entire film before the painting-over process began, creating authentic performances for the artists to work this.
The film is absolutely breathtaking and is like nothing you've ever seen before, while also providing new and thought-provoking insights into van Gogh's mindset during the last days of his life. The colorful animation, coupled with drab flashback scenes, helps the audience momentarily forget the sad nature of the film. I recommend this film to anyone who loves art and unique filmmaking.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Recommended for fans of: drama, At Eternity's Gate (2018), historical/period piece, Collette (2018), Big Eyes (2014)
0 Comments.