REVIEW: LOVING VINCENT (2017) 😍😭
I want to touch people with my art.I want them to say:He feels deeply, he feels tenderly.
So it was a quiet and nice Friday on the second of March, 2018. I was enjoying the leisure time as the aftermath of crazy deadlines in the last few weeks. You can blame it on the agency life I've been living for almost 2 years. Got so many deadlines to do so I skipped some cool movies to watch, like Dunkirk (lol). But I can guarantee you, I still got time to watch my all-time favourite Netflix series (like Stranger Things or Terrace House). No worries!
So a friend of mine asked me to watch Loving Vincent, abruptly, unplanned that night. The release date in Indonesia is on February 28th. So we're kinda late a few days. But you know, there is no exact information about this movie on Indonesia media! People seemed to focus on something else. Seriously, watching Loving Vincent is far more important than anything else that you're doing right now! Go watch it before it is all too late!!
There were 4 of us and 2 motorbikes. We immediately booked the tickets on Cinemaxx Plaza Semanggi. Some of my friends were catching up the deadlines to punctually arrive at the place by 9.15 PM. It was a hell of Friday because of the traffic jam that was almost everywhere! Luckily it took some skills to timely arrive at the place.
After such long ads before the movie was actually started, there was this letter from Vincent. A letter that he diligently sent to his brother, Theo. He marked each one of his letters with,
With warm handshake,
Your loving Vincent,
I was like dying. Literally dying. This Vincent, who barely lives 30 hours after 'the incident' marked each one of his letters dedicated to a few persons that he loved during his life with such sweet closing. How could he just decide to end his life? :(
But wait, did Vincent van Gogh actually take his own life with a gun, shooting himself in the midsection? Or was he shot by someone else? Sorry to spoil you with this one, but the movie doesn't lead us to the real answer as to who really did the shoot, especially whenever his relatives asked him about it, he alone was responsible, he said.
I'm still trembling and in such great loss, although I know it was a 100-plus-year-old mystery, one that takes up in the streets of Arles, France, in 1891.
Vincent van Gogh has died an untimely and mysterious death. In the movie, Armand Roulin has been tasked by his father, Joseph Roulin, the Postmaster to deliver a letter written by the deceased painter to Theo, Vincent's brother and only relative that has been taking good care of him, especially when his parents already abandoned him since he was born. The movie then pretty much tells us about that mystery, which led to nowhere. But you will understand that the answer is not really important. It is Vincent's tormented soul that is much more important.
Apparently, his story showed us a family complex. He was not actually the firstborn in his family. There was actually an older brother named with the same one as his. Unfortunately, this Vincent never made it alive since his birth. And when Vincent van Gogh was born, his parents refuse to take good care of him, believing the first Vincent would have become such a great son. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT?! SO HOW COULD YOU GUYS NAME HIM AS VINCENT TOO?!
On his 28th of age, Vincent decided to leave everything behind, including his job as a missionary and picked to paint everything that he adored so much; life and everything in it. He was a genius, a loner who seek for some love. Not from anyone's love, only from his family. Maybe the treatment from his family build up this strange characters of him. The movie did not explain why he cut off his ear and presented it to a whore. Some historians claimed that Paul Gaugin, another famous painter did the cut. After that incident, people in town seemed mocking and to bully him, especially whenever he tried to capture the beauty of life (read: paint).
The movie was set a year after the incident. And little does Armond Roulin know the mystery he's about to step into. On each of his journey in delivering the letter, he learned a new thing about Vincent van Gogh. He actually also learns that Theo has killed himself shortly after his brother's death. Ever since then, he decided to fulfil his thirst towards the mystery of Vincent van Gogh's death. He sought out someone else to help him locate a family member with whom to leave the letter. The next person was Dr Gachet, the one who believed had cured Vincent's depression.
Armand then travelled to Auvers, France. He met a cast of characters who each relate different details and theories regarding Vincent's death:
1. Dr Gachet: He is Vincent's doctor and therapist. He was real close to Vincent. As for me, I believe Dr Gachet is also responsible for his death. I feel like he only used Vincent for his skills. He believes that in Vincent's tormented and melancholic states, he could have done anything.
2. Marguerite Gachet: Dr Gachet's only daughter. She was also reportedly close to Vincent. Some of Vincent's paintings have her as the model. The famous one was the Pianist (1887). She lied first to Armand. But later she told him about how her father has instructed her to keep a distance from Vincent. Dr Gachet believes that Marguerite distracted Vincent from doing paintings. I thought Vincent's mysterious death would relate to romance life. But sorry for spoiling this, it was not always about love. His depression is much deeper than a romantic love story.
There were also Adeline Ravoux, the local innkeeper's daughter, the boatman, officer Rigaumon and Dr Mazery. Each one of them shared a different version of how Vincent died. This also makes me sad. I know that people in that era believed more in gossips, but still, the mystery was there. Who actually took the bullet? Is Vincent covering up someone for the shooting? I actually am suspicious with Rene Secretan, the one who always bullied Vincent, during his life. I believe he shot Vincent. Rene actually confessed this bullying thing on his deathbed.
It was such a sad movie, especially the credits session where the Starry, Starry Nights sung by Lianne La Havas played in the background. The song was originally owned by Don McLean. Since you guys know I love old songs, like Evergreen songs, I accidentally saved Vincent song by Doc McLean to my Spotify. And I know about the song which tells about Vincent's life. I cried so much after watching the note left by Vincent, the one I first mentioned on this blog.
The movie and his life literally teach me how to never give up on myself. Vincent's tormented soul is resurrected here, inside me. Vincent van Gogh chose art because he failed at everything else, lived off coffee and alcohol, and did his best work from inside an insane asylum. Instead of asking what the world can do for him, Vincent did the opposite. He wondered what he could do to the world.
How can I be of use in the world? Can't I serve some purpose and be of any good?
Can we?
Sorry for the short review. I really take this movie to heart. And also his life. It seems like I need to reread my dad's book at home. He got a lot of books about Vincent's life and his paintings. Be right back!
