러빙 빈센트(Loving Vincent) - 도로타 코비엘라, 휴웰치먼(2017)

빈센트 반 고흐를 소재로 한 2017년에 출시된 독특한 영화(당시 극장에서 두 번 보았고, 며칠 전에 넷플릭스를 통해 또 한 번 보았다). 고흐가 자살한 지 1년 뒤 고흐가 아를에 있을 때 친하게 지냈던 우체부 룰랭의 아들 아르망이 고흐의 편지를 동생 테오에게 전달하려는 과정 중에 그의 죽음을 둘러싼 여러 의문과 그의 예술적 헌신 등을 알게 된다는 내용이다. 실제로 아르망이 그런 여행을 하지는 않았을 것이므로 착상 자체가 흥미로우며 무엇보다 놀라운 점은 컬러와 흑백을 오가며 진행되는 내용이 고흐의 그림들을 다시 유화로 재현해내었다는 점이다(125명의 미술가가 6년 동안 작업을 했다고 한다). 그래서, 영화를 보는 동시에 고흐의 그림 세계 속에 들어와 있다는 느낌을 받는다. 더 나아가 고흐가 최후를 보낸 오베르-쉬르-우아즈(Auvers-sur-Oise) 사람들의 다양한 생각들과 관점이 제시되어 당시의 상황을 현장감 있게 체감할 수 있게 해준다. 

 

 

 

[Plot] Wikipedia

One year after Vincent van Gogh's suicide, postman Joseph Roulin asks his son Armand to deliver Van Gogh's last letter to his brother, Theo. Roulin finds the death suspicious, as merely weeks earlier Van Gogh claimed through letters that his mood was calm and normal. Armand reluctantly agrees and heads for Paris.

Père Tanguy, a Montmartre art supplier, tells Armand that Theo actually died six months after Vincent. He suggests that Armand travel to Auvers-sur-Oise and look for Dr. Paul Gachet, who housed Van Gogh after his release from an asylum, shared his love for art, and attended the funeral. Once there, Armand learns that the doctor is out on business. So he stays at the same inn that Van Gogh did during his time in the area. There he meets the temporary proprietress Adeline Ravoux, who was fond of Van Gogh and who was also surprised by his death. At her suggestion, Armand visits the local boatman, who informs him that Van Gogh kept close company with Dr. Gachet's sheltered daughter, Marguerite. When Armand visits her, Marguerite denies and is angered when Armand implies that Van Gogh's suicidal mood could have resulted from an argument with her father.

Throughout the investigation, Armand begins to suspect a local boy named René Secretan, who reportedly liked to torment Van Gogh, was in possession of a gun, and had often drunkenly waved it around town. Dr. Mazery, who examined Van Gogh, also claims that the shot must have come from a few feet away, ruling out suicide. When Armand implicates René, Marguerite confesses that she was in close, but not romantic, relations with Van Gogh, but she does not believe that René was capable of murder.

Dr. Gachet finally returns and promises to deliver Armand's letter to Theo's widow. He admits there was an argument between them – Van Gogh accused Gachet of being a coward for not pursuing his dreams, to which Gachet angrily accused Van Gogh of worsening Theo's health by overly depending on his brother. Gachet posits that this accusation drove Van Gogh to suicide in order to release Theo from the burden. After Armand returns home, postman Roulin later receives word from Theo's widow, Johanna, thanking Armand for returning the letter. Johanna attaches to her letter to Armand one of Van Gogh's letters to her – signed, "Your loving Vincent."