At Eternity's Gate

An absolute treat. Great performance by Dafoe. Should have won the Oscar for this performance that year.

A film that had been on my list for a while. I saw it by chance, and I don't regret it! We follow the life of the painter in a version that adapts a number of rumors about his life (his illness, his troubled vision, his death). The film left me with a strange impression: William Dafoe is very accurate in his role, and the direction is interesting, even if the formal moments are better mastered than those evoking his visions. The feeling I got from this vision of Van Gogh's life was: my God, what a terrible life! Unloved in the Impressionist circle, apart from Gauguin, with whom relations were rather stormy. Rejected by southerners, children, schoolteachers... the famous southern welcome? Only finds relative peace when he paints. I liked the way his vital need to paint is conveyed, and how he opposes Gauguin, who tells him to think about his composition, to take his time, that he puts so much paint on that it looks more like sculpture. A film that makes you want to find out more about the painter's life, once you realize that he leans towards certain theories that are a little far-fetched.

Almost unwatchable because of the jerky, meaningless handheld camera movement, which philistines mistake for “art.” The “music” is a depressing cacophony of noise, leaving one with an impression of hopeless misery, with not a speck of the artist’s joyful eruption of creativity. Dafoe’s performance is wasted in this misfire by a self-indulgent and inept director.

This was a brilliant movie. Willem Dafoe's acting was excellent. I really felt it ,really experienced it. It was quite heart breaking but so interesting. The way it was filmed was very expressive and intense. A perfect portrayal of Van Gogh and his life and art. I love this movie.

An impressionist portrait of the final years of Vincent Van Gogh in Arles, France. Dafoe is a fine wine actor as his performances later in his career just get better and better. The film is an attempt to allow the audience to see the world as Vincent did and I think it succeeds.

The acting, script, and costuming were all excellent, but the filming techniques were super annoying. The overly shaky, hand-held camera thing was way over done. In addition, whenever the audience is meant to sense Van Gogh's unease & unraveling, the bottom half of the screen is blurred. This occurs way too often & seems both lazy & contrived. I'm a big Willem Dafoe fan though & he was great as per usual.

Now, I think I know what you tried to say to me How you suffered for your sanity How you tried to set them free They would not listen, they're not listening still Perhaps they never will

Love this guy very much. Deeply touching and visually perfect.

I don't think some viewers understand the purpose of this film. It doesn't have a plot in the traditional sense, and it's not meant to have one. It is a biographical experience through Van Gogh's eyes, through his love of nature, through his fear of being left alone with his hauntings, through his illness, and through the pain and beauty that was his mind. It's a gorgeously melancholic, artistic, vibrant journey of a troubled genius that is to be experienced, not a story with a point other than the vividness and tragedy of his life. His affliction is part of what make him and his painting so meaningful and prolific. I thought the film was excellent at portraying Vincent, not necessarily a biopic.

There aren't any new revelations about Van Gogh here, but Schnabel's attempts to take us inside the man's mind do yield some beautiful sequences. And despite being way too old for the part, Dafoe is great.