The Hollywood Reporter by David Rooney
This is in many ways an abrasive, wildly uneven film — raw and deliberately unvarnished in style, shot by Benoit Delhomme with a nervous handheld camera and lots of wide-angle lenses that mirror the darting restlessness and the uneasy perspective of a troubled mind.
Willem Dafoe's performance is incredible. The scenery of Southern France in this film feels very impressionistic like van Gogh's work. Oscar Isaac is great as Gauguin. The way the film stylistically represents van Gogh's struggle with mental health adds to Dafoe's performance. I enjoyed the mix of English and French since so many English films about French history never address the fact every actor is speaking with a British accent.
I'm surprised to see such mixed critic reviews. The visuals and the soundtrack of this film alone make it worth watching, even if it didn't have a compelling story (which it very much does). The film puts the viewer inside the head of Van Gogh to see the world in all its swirling beauty and terror.