Loving Vincent

LOVING VINCENT
Directors ~ DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman
Writers ~ DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman, Jacek Dehnel
2017,  Poland-United Kingdom-Switzerland-Netherlands-Qatar
Stars ~ Douglas Booth, Jerome Flynn, Robert Gulaczyk

The first fully oil painted film, made of 65000 paintings by over a hundred artists utilising Vincent Van Gogh’s techniques. With the use of Rotoscoping to give the characters a more realistic movement and expression, the effect is quite stunning. It took six years to complete, leading Co-director and producer HughWelchman to quip that ‘Loving Vincent’ had invented the slowest form of filmmaking ever devised in 120 years.

A romanticised and melodramatic tribute to Vincent Van Gogh presented like a whodunnit:  postman’s son tries to deliver the last undelivered letter from Vincent to his brother Theo after his death. It is very talky, and some critics find this a disservice to the remarkable visuals, but it seems a totally valid conceit to express the proposed mystery by making Van Gogh omnipresent by having the characters live in the worlds he painted. For this reason, it has an aesthetic purpose to challenge criticism of being a gimmick (it is no less gimmicky than, say, CGI dinosaurs for ‘Jurassic Park’, or Soderberg's 'Boyhood'). Although the balance would depend upon the viewer, the mystery plot mitigates the overwhelming visuals and the overwhelming visuals compensate for any narrative deficiencies – for example, the romanticisation of the tortured, misunderstood artist with mental health issues. It is reminiscent of a beautifully executed if traditional Nineteenth Century novella. However much the script is the focus of much criticism, it is due to the plot flow that the viewer becomes accustomed to the style until frequently catching themselves to contemplate and marvel at the highly organic and visceral feel of the oil paintings swarming, swirling and shimmering on the screen.

Perhaps an interview or two too long, there is enough ambiguity in conclusion to leave the mystery of Van Gogh lingering - although the consensus is suicide. The postman’s son’s journey from indifference to respect for Van Gogh parallels the viewing of viewers unfamiliar with Van Gogh work, although they will certainly recognise some characters – based on his portraits – and vistas just from osmosis with pop culture. ‘Loving Vincent’ may protest a mystery, but the residue is all sadness and the recognised influence Van Gogh’s work went on to have on the art world.