Loving Vincent

Loving Vincent – Vincent van Gogh had written to say he was feeling calm and normal just six weeks before his apparent suicide and so when a lost undelivered letter from him to his brother, Theo, is discovered, his suspicious former postman tasks his son, Armand, to deliver it. When Armand learns that Theo has died, he tasks himself to find a suitable recipient for the letter, but in doing so talks to several people who knew the troubled artist, and the contradictory descriptions of him.

Loving Vincent (2017) – Director: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50539533

Rating: 12

Running Length: 94 mins

Starring: Douglas Booth, Jerome Flynn, Eleanor Tomlinson

Genre: Animated, Period, Drama, Crime

REVIEW: ‘LOVING VINCENT’

Using the narrative device of an outsider talking to various people who knew Vincent van Gogh in his final six weeks, ‘Loving Vincent’ is an astonishingly ambitious project. Animated entirely by using oil canvas paintings (over 65,000 frames worth), in the style of Vincent’s work, ‘Loving Vincent’ is the most beautiful and, well, artistic love letter to the work of a troubled genius.

Using the audience cypher of Armand, several (real) people in Vincent’s life tell their (often contradictory) versions of the man they met or knew. How did he go from receiving mental health treatment, leaving as feeling ‘calm and normal’ to apparent suicide six short weeks later. Armand, and the viewer, get sucked in a conspiracy theory about what may have happened – but of course this is more an excuse to get to know the man who was, by all accounts, troubled and prone to depressive episodes.

‘Loving Vincent’ is truly astonishing to watch. The sheer work that has gone in to using paintings as an animation medium is laudable. Pause the movie anywhere and you are treated to a bona-fide piece of art. Some scenes are based on Vincent’s famous paintings. But others: such as Armand staring out a train window so that his semi-transparent face overlays the passing scenery; the cloud and trees of a field morphing into a bustling Parisian street; and Vincent looking at his reflection in a barrel of water before plunging his hand in, are a triumph of gorgeous visuals only made all the more gorgeous due to the medium in which they are presented.

It is highly unlikely you will ever see another movie like ‘Loving Vincent’ so make sure you do see it.

CONTENT: IS ‘LOVING VINCENT’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The opening text of the movie states that Vincent shot himself but, wounded, returned to his room where he died two days later.

After Vincent and a friend argue he storms down a dark alley. There is a woman sitting on barrels and man standing between her legs, having sex with her. She is likely a prostitute although she is clothed. She watches Vincent go past. Vincent then goes to a brothel with several scantily clad ladies sitting at a table. He hands one of them a piece of cloth, calling it a ‘gift’. She opens it to find the bloody remains of part of his ear, and screams. The ear is not lingered upon and this moment is quick.

Two men brawl in the street and throw punches at each other.

A flashback scene shows children throw rocks at Vincent whilst he tries to paint. He has done nothing to antagonise them but packs up his things and leaves whilst they continue to throw missiles and jeer at him.

Vincent’s brother, Theo, is narrated to have gone into a sharp decline following Vincent’s death. He is shown sitting on the floor in a room, crying and barely responsive. He ignores his wife and young child.

Vincent staggers into his room clutching his stomach. He simply says, “I tried to kill myself”.

When talking to a boat keeper, Armand is told that Vincent was hanging around a group of young men who had the company of certain girls. He says, “Unruly ones, if you catch my meaning”. The woman are shown to fawn over the men.

After a letter is read there is a scene showing Vincent staggering down stairs, clutching his stomach. The shot switches to his point of view. Blood is on his hands and he breathes heavily. He collapses into hay and leaves blood smears on the floor when he uses his hand for balance.

An older boy throws a rock at Armand. Armand shouts, “Oi!” and chases after him. It is implied later that the rock thrower is mentally disabled.

Some drunk characters theorise that Vincent must have “cut off his dick as well as his ear”. Another wonders if he was “some kind of nancy”. A group of drunk man shove the rock thrower from earlier to the ground. Armand, although drunk, gets into a fight with them.

When arguing about Vincent’s mental state one character says he was in the state of mind to “cut off [his] ear and give it to a whore”.

It is revealed that one character is suffering from the early stages of syphilis and is at risk of death if put under stress.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘LOVING VINCENT’ FOR KIDS?

‘Loving Vincent’ is at pains to give a balanced account of the man, so this involves constant depictions of him being bullied and ridiculed, as well as him suffering depressive slumps and fits of anger. The adult subject matter, slow dialogue and heavy pacing is unlikely to appeal to many children, combined with the opening scenes which include prostitutes, brothels, and self-mutilation. The content itself is not particularly strong but we would recommend this movie as suitable for children aged 12 and above.

• Violence: 2/5 (fist fights, bullying behaviour)
• Emotional Distress: 3/5 (Vincent is often distressed, other characters are upset by his passing)
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 3/5 (references to prostitutes and brothels)
• Bad Language: 2/5 (occasional mild bad language)
• Dialogue: 2/5 (verbal threats, disparaging dismissal of mental health issues)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of depression, mental illness, bullying, loneliness, jealousy, forbidden love, self-harm, excessive alcohol use, seeking resolution, obsession with a passion, and the stress of balancing your passion with practicality.

Words by Michael Record

[amazon_link asins=’B0766BYSNH,B072FS1FLS,B073RPDPXB,B07545LJTV’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’isthimovsui-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=”]