A Grain Of Madness: Willem Dafoe Is Vincent Van Gogh In This AT ETERNITY’S GATE Trailer

At Eternity's Gate, the latest from Diving Bell and the Butterfly artist-cum-auteur Julian Schnabel, bowed at the Venice Film Fest just a few short days ago to near universal praise. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw called the portrait of legendary painter Vincent van Gogh's life (starring Willem Dafoe as the central ear-cutter)...

"...a heartfelt if straightforwardly reverent film about the last years in the life of Vincent van Gogh – acted by Willem Dafoe with all the integrity and unselfconscious ease that you would expect from this great actor."

Now there's a trailer for everyone to check out, one which highlights Eternity's other stars (Mads Mikkelsen, Oscar Isaac, Mathieu Amalric), alongside Schnabel's trademark sunny, free-flowing compositions. 

Take a look: 

My word, that looks absolutely stunning (if, as Bradshaw notes, somewhat routine in terms of biopic storytelling). This is Schnabel's first picture in eight years (after the somewhat undervalued Miral), so the fact that he's even stepping behind the camera at all is cause for celebration. That he brought this many talented actors along with him (including Dafoe, who's no stranger to playing revolutionary geniuses*) makes Eternity an absolute must-see. 

At Eternity's Gate will continue to make the fest rounds, playing NYFF this October, before landing in theaters November 16th. Something tells this writer that Dafoe may have another nomination on his hands. 

*Track down Abel Ferrara's Pasolini ('14) for another great example.