Review by Helena Clarke
The film is a stunning piece of work with the constant changing and fusing of different images. The movement in the coloured paintings may leave the viewer with sore eyes but with an unforgettable experience. I found the greens and blues that kept moving on the close-up paintings of the people’s faces were a bit distracting but it created something altogether different and at the same time interesting. The black and white paintings which are used in the flashback sequences are incredible in their likeness to the people who were painted, this was very impressive and somewhat breath-taking to watch.
As for the story it is a murder mystery investigation, essentially a “who dunnit” which left me wondering about my lack of knowledge of Vincent van Gogh’s life and also wondering how much of it was fabricated and how much of it was fact. The actors were incredible, Douglas Booth and Eleanor Tomlinson gave great performances and had me hanging on their every word. In particular Jerome Flynn stood out with the emotion he portrayed in quite a different character than what he usually plays and it was impressive. It was wonderful to have all the actors keep their natural accent but I had to wonder why Saoirse Ronan didn’t stick with hers? Perhaps it was a challenge she had set herself? She pulled it off regardless as she always does but it left me curious.
This is a must-see movie and well worth a watch, unmissable in the cinema as the effect would be lost at home. I truly enjoyed it and experienced a whole new area of cinema. It will leave you with a lot to think about throughout and afterwards.
Check out the beautiful trailer of Loving Vincent here!
Friday (13.10) to Thursday (19.10)
Tickets: 8 / 9.50 Book here
Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
explorindublin.com 