Devotion bordering on obsession is the only explanation for Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman's extraordinary Oscar-nominated animated film about Vincent van Gogh's slow death by gunshot on July 29, 1890, in the remote village where he had gone to paint. Was it suicide, manslaughter, or murder? The narrative takes the form of an inquiry by Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth), the dissolute son of a postmaster (Chris O'Dowd) who was a friend of the artist. Armand questions locals who befriended van Gogh, including the doctor (Jerome Flynn) who signed the death certificate and the latter's daughter (Saoirse Ronan), the staff of the inn where the painter stayed, and an outsider (John Sessions)—van Gogh's paint supplier—who describes young Vincent's life in Paris. But the plot is secondary to the style—a sophisticated form of rotoscoping that carefully paints over, frame-by-frame, the performances by the cast to make all of the characters resemble their depictions in van Gogh's portraits (the same process is used on the backgrounds). That explains why it took an army of more than a hundred artists working over several years to complete the film, which plays like a succession of van Gogh canvases brought to vivid life. Experts will have a field day identifying what works are referenced in each segment—a cascade of vibrantly colored "present day" images and shimmering black-and-white "past" ones—but everyone can simply luxuriate in the gorgeous flow of images, even if the mystery of van Gogh's death remains unresolved. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include an interview with costar Douglas Booth” (14 min.), a “making-of” featurette (23 min.), the behind-the-scenes segments “Beginning the Animation” (5 min.) and “Creating the Props” (3 min.), an interview with costar Eleanor Tomlinson” (2 min.), a brief “Walking Through Vincent's Neighborhood” segment, and a “3 Paintings in 1” brief scene. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this beautifully animated Oscar nominee.] (F. Swietek)
Loving Vincent
Cinedigm, 95 min., PG-13, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $24.99 Volume 33, Issue 2
Loving Vincent
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