Directed by:
Édouard DelucCinematography:
Pierre CottereauComposer:
Warren EllisCast:
Vincent Cassel, Tuheï Adams, Malik Zidi, Marc Barbé, Samuel Jouy, Scali Delpeyrat, Pernille Bergendorff, Pua-Taï Hikutini, Ian McCamy, Michèle Clément (more)VOD (1)
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The post-impressionist painter’s first trip to French Polynesia in 1891 is the focus of this lush, semi-fictionalized biographical exploration of art and inspiration. Flush with the idea of new freedoms, Henri Gauguin (a magnetic Vincent Cassel) abandons his family and a drab Paris and sets off for Tahiti. There, he discovers both inspiration and uncertainly in Tehura, a younger islander who consents to his advances when her parents offer her to the artist as a wife. (San Francisco International Film Festival)
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Reviews (4)
The exteriors and Cassel are great (in different ways), but if the main character wasn’t a now-famous painter, there would not be a single reason to film his Tahiti story (or write it down or do anything else with it). If, however, you are interested in Gauguin, you’ll see the occasions on which he (maybe) painted some of his famous works. And that he was, like van Gogh, a wretch who was incapable of fitting into society. But this film does not delve into his inner self. For an excellent cinematic depiction of the tortured mind and soul, muse and motivations of an exceptional painter, go rather for Schnabel’s At Eternity’s Gate. Though it’s about van Gogh, his close friend Gauguin plays a significant role in it.
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Vincent Cassel was a perfect fit for portraying Paul Gauguin. The whole movie is about a part of his life he spent in Pacific where not even the beauty of Tahiti could make up for all the desperation, hopelessness and depression that emanated from this movie.
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A darkened moody film influenced by Terence Malick's films, which surprisingly poetically works with the Tahitian backdrop - they look very shabby and melancholy - and with the face and body of Vincent Cassel, who seems, from the very first shot, like he will die in the next shot. The screenplay works with omissions and unspokenness, but sometimes he draws from Gaugin's Letters To His Wife And Friends through a voiceover, which is instead somewhat uneasy. Pleasantly non-didactic given the conditions of biopics, but clearly derived.
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A beautifully poetic film about a painting genius, whose storytelling pace suits him perfectly. The visually stunning presentation is wonderfully complemented by the captivating musical accompaniment. I feel like I actually spent a couple of years in Tahiti with the controversial Paul Gauguin, played in an utterly disarming way by Vincent Cassel. I admit that I watched it mostly for his sake because I was curious to see how he would handle the role. From the first minute, I couldn't take my eyes off him, completely fascinated by his physical and acting transformation. If someone had told me some time ago that Vincent Cassel could move me in a film, I would have laughed at that, but he really did it! (80%)
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Gallery (24)
Photo © StudioCanal
![Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/161/995/161995418_f132da.jpg)
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