Vincent & Theo

By Adam Thomas

Saturday April 1, 2006

Directed by Robert Altman Originally produced as a miniseries for British television, this biography focuses on the powerful relationship between the Van Gogh brothers. Where other films often aspire towards mystifying artists and their art, Tim Roth’s portrayal of Vincent is so totally engaging that the human torment of an artist as he descends into mental illness
becomes as textured as one of his paintings. Except for his struggling art gallery owning brother Theo (Paul Rhys), Vincent Van Gogh was totally unrecognized during his lifetime. While Vincent wandered the countryside, depressed to the point of eating his own oils paints, Theo fought long and hard to support his eccentric brother, both emotionally and financially. Here Altman captures both the grace and love between the brothers as well as the difficulties and the fervent desperation of an artist, unappreciated in his time, but whose works have since become unequivocal treasures.