Susan Rodriguez

If this film gives you the sense that you now deeply understand the soul of a tormented Vincent van Gogh & those who (partially) inhabited his life, please return to the Minelli 1956 film Lust for Life for comparison. Of the many films made about this complicated artist, the biopic Lust for Life may provide a less disjointed experience. The characters, although heightened are closer to the artists' dynamism...all parts are played brilliantly. There is actually more cliche in Schnabel's "mad artist" Vincent-although Willem DaFoe submits a sincere, intense performance.The At Eternity's Gate film is quite disorienting & confusing to those who do (or don't) know the life and work of this remarkable artist. It was "visually engaging" but flawed. Disappointing on several levels, mainly by the film's fractious pov.See Lust for Life's interpretation first if possible.