Queen Victoria (Dane Judy Dench) is spending her golden years as queen lonely and bored. That is until she strikes an unexpected and deep friendship with a Muslim servant from India named Abdul (Ali Fazal), who Victoria has deemed to be her Munshi or teacher. As the two enjoy each others company, Victoria learns about Indian culture, the Koran, and all sorts of fascinating things, all while the Royal Household grows more and more uneven and impatient with the Queen for being so...unorthadox.
This film is a character study that relies mainly on the ability of its actors to carry the progression and emotional weight of the film. Fortunately, this film delivers that in spades. Dane Judy Dench brings her usual professionalism with grace, which makes Ali Fazal's performance all the more joyful to behold.
For the most part, this is a pleasant story about the value of friendship and the power of kindness. Although, it is not completely pleasant. Like most historical stories, some parts are more tragic than we would like to believe otherwise. Even so, it is a remarkable story that is welcome to the screen.
Aside from the tremendous performances throughout the film from the whole cast, there is not much else to say about the film. The writing is solid, the direction is fluid, the cinematography is pretty, the editing is coherent, and production design is appropriate. It is a well-crafted film that is worth seeing but doesn't offer anything new or unique to this particular genre or style.
Is it worth seeing?
Yes.
Is it worth seeing in Theaters?
Maybe.
Why?
While the acting is solid and the story is relevant and mostly pleasant, it doesn't offer anything else that would make it worth the price of a Theater ticket. Would personally advice waiting for video-on-demand.
2. Loving Vincent
For those of you who may not have heard of Vincent Van Gogh, he was a Dutch-born painter from the 1800s. You may recognize him as the guy who made this painting.
Vincent became known as the father of post-impressionism. He also became the figurehead for the romantic and stereotypical description of the "Artist." A depressed creative genius who was never genuinely appreciated for his work until his death. Although, many people tend to forget that Vincent's depression was likely brought on by untreated mental illness. Something that many art historians argue that Vincent was trying combat with his art. If you would like to have a rough idea of what Vincent's mind was probably like, I would personally recommend listening to the song "Starry Night" by Don McLean. A kind song about a fine artist.
The film Loving Vincent is the story of a young man named Armand Roulin (Douglass Booth) who travels to a small village in France to deliver a lost letter to Vincent Van Gogh's brother. His journey takes him to meet many of the people who knew Vincent learning about his life, his work, and his death. Making the film a kind of detective mystery as to what may have been the actual circumstances of Vincent's untimely departure.
This film can best be described as a literal work of art. As it's main attraction is that it is, to the best of my knowledge, the world's first hand-painted feature-length film. Well over 64,000 painting had been created by over 100 different artists to bring this movie to life. You can find a link to a BBC video showcasing the making of the film at the bottom of this review.
Loving Vincent is a truly one of a kind film. Every frame is just an absolute wonder to behold. From the fluidity of the movement to the methods used to recreate artifacts like motion blur. It is a film that makes one contemplate the artistic nature of film itself.
It is enough of a wonder to behold as to make me forgive the films narrative structure. The vast majority of the film is people sitting at tables talking about Vincent. Usually, a film that consists of people sitting around talking tends to get boring. Even if what the characters are talking about is genuinely exciting. Fortunately, Loving Vincent has the good sense to compensate for that by going back and forth between the present and flashbacks to past events of Vincent's life. Using two different art styles and having each flashback focus on something different.
Loving Vincent is a film that only happens once in a blue moon. If you are an art historian or just a casual fan, or even the least bit curious, you owe it to yourself to see this film. So please do so immediately.
Is this movie worth seeing?
Yes.
Is it worth seeing in Theaters?
Hell yes!
Why?
It is a remarkable and rare work of art that respectfully demands your attendance.
The making of Loving Vincent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CQKHWvK8Ro
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.
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