The First Trailer for "At Eternity's Gate" Draws Willem Dafoe Back into the Oscar Race

Willem Dafoe in At Eternity's Gate

Following last week's Telluride and Venice Film Festivals, there's a lot to already look forward to in regards to awards season. With many already staking their claim, it's interesting to see what changes are likely to still come. Among those is a film from director Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) starring Willem Dafoe as iconic artist Vincent Van Gogh. With many at the festivals already hailing it as a career-best performance, it looks like it will be what is needed to finally earn the legendary actor an Oscar. If nothing else, the trailer looks to capture the artistry of a man who redefined how we look at art with a performance that is just as staggering to look at as the gorgeous scenery. 

It would be a nice surprise to see Dafoe in the Oscar season two years in a row. While he's always been respected, there's a sense that he's been underrated at awards time. He's only received three Oscar nominations, each spread out by 14 and 17 years between the first and second, and second and third respectively. Still, the recent acclaim that he picked up for The Florida Project could help to fuel his potential nomination and maybe even win. It would be the perfect story for a Best Actor win, as it has become common with figures like last year's winner Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour). Still, it's a crowded field, so one can hope he can first stand out against an impressive group of contenders.

It also helps that the story of Vincent Van Gogh is more accessible to voters than The Florida Project's tragicomedy of a man dealing with lower class families. Van Gogh's impact has made him a household name and, as the trailer alludes to, his famous actor of cutting off his ear has made him something greater even for those who don't know his work. There's a lot to get out of a performance like this, and with the prestige and acclaim of Schnabel behind the camera, it could stand a chance of being more than just a stereotypical biopic. It could have heart and explore the life of an artist in greater, and more fascinating detail.

Check out the trailer below:

Looks really good. Here's the plot description according to IMDb:

A look at Vincent van Gogh's time in Arles.

This is of course not the first film about Van Gogh to be released. There is of course last year's eclectic Best Animated Film nominee Loving Vincent which took a closer look at the artist's work. Even before that, there was the 1956 film Lust for Life, which earned actor Kirk Douglas an Oscar nomination for his role as Van Gogh. Based on this trend, it does seem like Dafoe is in good hands, and the current popularity of the artist seems to be in full swing. One can't help but wonder what he can bring to the role that Douglas didn't. If there's any sign in the trailer, there's plenty of nuance and beauty to be explored.

At Eternity's Gate's first trailer brings everything that's necessary to a movie trying to stand out during awards season. For starters, it's got a compelling performance at the center that's already earning rave reviews. It also has some excellent cinematography that turns most of the scenery into Van Gogh paintings. It also looks to be adding nuanced emotion to the artist's life as he tries to make sense of his purpose in life. Of course, like the art itself, this is all interpretive. The wait to find out just how great the film is will be seen soon enough. For now, Dafoe looks to be having his shortest gaps between Oscar nominations, and that's something worth getting excited for.