At Eternity's Gate (2018)

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

Director:

Julian Schnabel

Writers:

Jean-Claude Carrière, Julian Schnabel

Stars:

Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Willem Dafoe	...	Vincent van Gogh
Rupert Friend	...	Theo van Gogh
Oscar Isaac	...	Paul Gauguin
Mads Mikkelsen	...	Priest
Mathieu Amalric	...	Doctor Paul Gachet
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Md Ginoux
Niels Arestrup	...	Madman
Anne Consigny	...	Teacher
Amira Casar	...	Johanna Van Gogh
Vincent Perez	...	The Director
Lolita Chammah	...	Girl on the Road
Stella Schnabel	...	Gaby
Vladimir Consigny	...	Doctor Felix Ray
Arthur Jacquin	...	René
Solal Forte	...	Gaston

Storyline

During a self-imposed exile in Arles and Auvers-Sur-Oise, France, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh develops his unique, colorful style of painting. While grappling with religion, mental illness and a tumultuous friendship with French artist Paul Gauguin, van Gogh begins to focus on his relationship with eternity rather than the pain his art causes him in the present.

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Plot Keywords:

painter | priest | artist | 19th century | 1880s | 

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Taglines:

A Grain of Madness is the Best of Art

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Willem Dafoe is the second actor to be nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for playing Vincent van Gogh, after Kirk Douglas in Lust for Life (1956).

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Goofs

@ approx :35 into the movie, van Gogh is lying in a hospital bed after being beaten up. The en d of a pillow at the right hand side of the image shows a 21st century soft goods tag.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Vincent Van Gogh: I just want to be one of them. I would like to sit down with them and have a drink and talk about anything. I'd like them to give me some tobacco, a glass of wine, or even just ask me, "How are you today?" And I would answer, and we would talk. And from time to time I'd make a sketch of one of them as a gift. They would accept it, maybe, and keep it somewhere, and a woman would smile at me and ask, "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat? A piece of ham, some cheese, or ...

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Crazy Credits

There's a mid-credits scene, where a Paul Gauguin quote is narrated.

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: Marzo 2019 (2019)

User Reviews

Getting into Van Gogh's Mind

As mentioned by Willem Dafoe during his interview at the Academy Awards ceremony, the intention of this film was never to be a crowd-pleaser, standard biopic. This aim of 'At Eternity's Gate' was to tell a story from a whole different perspective. The technique and point of view is supposed to make you see and feel just like Van Gogh did during his last days. If you really immerse yourself into the film, you'd realise it almost feels like a virtual reality experience. Maybe this film should have been made in a VR format.

I admit that 'Loving Vincent' is a far superior film about the artist. Nevertheless, I appreciated the unique style of this film as I was able to see the world through Van Gogh's eyes. The camera movements, open shots, vexatious music and cinematography really put me in a trance. Dafoe's characterisation is definitely Oscar-worthy. However, this is not a film for the faint-hearted. This film is melancholic, experimental and even psychedelic at times. So please avoid it if you enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody and the like.

Score: 8/10

FJ Medina

Details

Official Sites:

Offcial Instagram Official site

Country:

Ireland Switzerland UK France USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

15 February 2019 (France)

Also Known As:

À la porte de l'éternité

Filming Locations:

Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$92,856, 18 November 2018

Gross USA:

$2,294,915

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,235,662

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Films, Riverstone Pictures, SPK Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1