Movie Review: Loving Vincent

Written by Nadia Dardon

Loving Vincent gained a lot of attention after its nomination for an Academy Away for Best Animated Picture. It all started as a seven minutes short film in 2008 that was later developed into a longer film by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman.

The movie follows the character of Armand Roulin, who is the son of Vincent van Gogh’s postman. It is a year after van Gogh’s suicide, and Postman Joseph Roulin asks his son to deliver a letter that the painter left for his brother, Theo. Roslin tells his son that Vincent’s death seems suspicious to him because weeks before his suicide, van Gogh sent a letter to him claiming his mood was calm and normal. So Armand Roulin goes looking for Theo van Gogh in Paris, though he seems reluctant to do so. During his visit to Paris, Armand Roulin learns more about the painter’s life and his relationship with his brother. That leads him to travel to Auvers-sur-Oise, where Vincent van Gogh lived and admitted himself into an asylum. Most of the movie develops there and the story of the artist and his suicide is slowly explored through the different characters that interact with him.

The emotional aspect of the movie is clear throughout the whole story, especially regarding the different points of view about van Gogh’s death. In the movie Armand Roulin encounters different people who once knew Vincent and we, together with Armand, are able to see how the different impressions of the artist create a clearer image of who he was in the last moments of his life. He was liked by some people and by others not so much. He was kind, he was misunderstood, he was many different things. It all depends on who is telling the story.

Personally, I enjoyed watching all this faces of one person as it helped to create a depth to the character and it helped me to understand him even more. I felt as if I was resolving a mystery as the movie progressed and felt connected to Armand Roulin as everything he was learning about Vincent van Gogh was also news to me. Where he lived, what he did in the afternoons, where he painted, what he did on Sundays, who he talked to…all these small details helped to paint a clear picture of the person that made Vincent van Gogh who he was.

It also helped that the movie was beautifully made and the images enchants you as soon as the movie starts and it continues to awe until the very end. The whole movie is animated as if it were a painting of Vincent van Gogh himself. The colours and the movements are so unique to that style of the artist. It helped create a whole ambience for the movie. It gives you a nostalgic mood, as well as one of inspiration. It feels as if you are watching the world through van Gogh’s eyes and it helps to build on the story. And even though the story can progress a bit slow, it all adds to the bigger picture of what the film-makers are trying to tell us.

Overall, the movie was outstanding. It is clear that it took a lot of effort to make the film and it certainly paid off. The whole movie is thought out, and it is clear the attention to detail everyone involved in the film had. From the painted backgrounds, to the actors in character, to the dialogues. Everything was beautiful and powerful in emotions. It left me breathless, and I am sure it will cause an impression on anyone who watches the film.

It really is no surprise that the film caught so much attention. It certainly deserved the nomination it received for the Academy Awards. It was beautiful and all the hard work paid off. Anyone who sees it will be able to appreciate it for what it really is, a piece of art.

Did you enjoy the movie? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!