At Eternity’s Gate Shows Us the Vincent van Gogh We Never Knew

There are things we know for sure about Vincent van Gogh: that he suffered from mental-health issues, that he cut off his left ear in 1888, that in some form or another his paintings--reproduced on coffee mugs, museum-shop scarves and laptop sleeves--bring many people at least moderate joy every day.

At Eternity's Gate, Julian Schnabel's delightful, mournful film about van Gogh's last years, spent in Arles, St.-Rémy and Auvers-sur-Oise, is far from a straight-on biopic.