October is time for QCinema, one of the biggest film festivals in the Philippines. From a dinky little festival five years ago, this event has come a long way, and this year, the festival opens up with Loving Vincent, the world's first fully painted motion picture.
The film opens up one year after Van Gogh's death; Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth) is tasked by his postman father to give a letter to Vincent's brother Theo. In the process of doing this, Armand learns of Vincent's final days from the people around him and a mystery begins to form.
In framing the film as a mystery, the film considers a certain theory regarding Van Gogh's death, in that it was not a suicide, but something else. However, that plotline doesn't really pan out. While it gives us a glimpse of Van Gogh's life, Loving Vincent is hardly autobiographical. Narratively the film just wanders around until it comes with a realization that is only partially earned. Van Gogh remains an enigma; a brilliant artist whose motives and true intentions remain in the dark.
But I guess that's the point. In this film it's made increasingly clear that loving Vincent is different than knowing Vincent - and the movie's frames are all saturated with love. One character even echoes this in dialogue - and I paraphrase - how Vincent died is not as important as how he lived. Every single frame of this film is an oil painting, painstakingly made by over 100 painters fluent in Van Gogh's style. And they incorporate some of Van Gogh's most popular paintings into the mise en scene; the film opens and ends with his most famous work, The Starry Night. It's also reflective of the evolution of his style - flashback scenes are painted slightly different in black and white, similar to Van Gogh's black and white studies in the early 1880s. Scenes set in present day evoke his style during the latter half of the 1880s, when his artistic career took off. It's all meticulously crafted, a truly astounding homage to the man and his art. Visually it's one of the most gorgeous films of the year.
Perhaps we may never know Van Gogh the man, but through this film we can come to know Van Gogh the artist through his art, reflected in these frames. Its plot plays second fiddle to everything else, but if only for its amazing visuals it's worth taking a look into.
After a few more preview screenings next week, Loving Vincent opens in PH theaters November.
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