At Eternity’s Gate alongside The Wife is proving that nobody knows nothing. Two tiny films that hit theaters in off-periods are now lighting up Awards season. What makes this film pop is how it’s less about Van Gogh being moody and more about the painting process. Too often, films want to be the one that actually gets inside Ol’ One Ear’s mindset and try to tell us something new. If it didn’t work in my Art History class, it’s not going to work for the majority of film-going adults. So, what is the big takeaway?
Willem Dafoe and Julian Schnabel work together incredibly well. Bouncing around a cast featuring Mikkelsen, Isaac and others…the movie never lingers too long on one thing. If there is one takeaway from the reception this film is receiving, it’s that I’m stunned by how mature film tastes are getting. Yeah, I argued about people not understanding Kenneth Branagh earlier, but humanity exists to surprise.
If you’re trying to stock up on films for an Oscar watch party, you couldn’t go wrong here. Hell, take a cue from John Bailey and watch this instead of ABC broadcast worthy categories. Who would have thought that in 2019, we would all be pissed at the cinematographer of Silverado?
At Eternity’s Gate is now available!
