Van Gogh

A “self-appointed enfant terrible” from the corps of French New Wave directors, Pialat (A Nos Amours, Under The Sun of Satan) tackles the already-heavily documented subject (both in film and in literature) of spiritually tortured artist Vincent van Gogh, specifically choosing to concentrate on the last 67 days of his life before his abrupt suicide. The narrative opens in the spring of 1890 as van Gogh (Dutronc) arrives at Auvers-sur-Oise in the French countryside. He soon becomes a patient of the local doctor -- Gachet (Sety) -- who also patronizes van Gogh's artistic abilities by allowing himself and his precocious 13 year-old daughter (London) to pose for several paintings. Gachet's daughter eventually seduces van Gogh, and he divides his idle time between trysting in the countryside with her -- as well as with prostitutes --- and hitting the absinthe and wine one too many times. Meanwhile, the relationship between van Gogh and his brother, Theo (Le Coq), becomes strained due to Theo's escalating weariness of constantly having to provide financial support for him. The problem with Pialat's film (he also wrote the screenplay) is that if you are not familiar with all the details concerning van Gogh's brilliant, yet tortured existence that led up to the final months of his life, you will not gain much insight into the shallow portrait that Pialat paints of the artist, or the significant individuals who orbited his world until his death. Blame it on near-stationary camerawork that remains bogged down in long and medium shots, choppy (in the manner of a hacksaw) editing that makes for confusing episodic transitions, lots of loose, rambling incidental sequences that don't really add anything to the plot, and unless you are fluent in French, good luck at attempting to decipher the subtitles. These sloppy techniques only seem to alienate the viewer from the characters and the narrative in the long run. Granted, Pialat does manage to strip away the “Starry, Starry Night” romanticism that has usually permeated the van Gogh legend, for a more objective sense of realism, and thus creates a credible measure of naturalness in both the characterizations and the construction of the scenes. Yet, most of the time, the film never seems to rise above the mundane, day-in-the-life-ordinariness it ultimately projects. If you are really a van Gogh aficionado, great. Maybe you'll find this film bearable. Otherwise, it's not worth lending an eye -- or an ear to.