By Joanne Smith

I recently attended the Portland Museum of Art’s screening of “Loving Vincent.” From the “Loving Vincent” website, this is the “world’s first fully oil painted feature film.” Now, to know me is to know that attending movies at a museum isn’t my usual thing. My tastes are more in line with shows like “Arrested Development” and movies like “Shaun of the Dead.” But, when you’re a Communications & New Media student, studying motion graphics and Adobe After Effects, this is one of those events you’re more inclined to tune in to.

The film has a surprisingly good cast, including Chris O’Dowd, who you may remember as the cop in “Bridesmaids,” and Saoirse Ronan, who has had an amazing run in movies like “Brooklyn,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The Lovely Bones.” Before attending the film, it hadn’t occurred to me that there would be an actual cast of recognizable actors bringing the story to life. I thought it would simply be animated characters with anonymous voiceovers.

As a refresher, van Gogh was a Dutch post-impressionist painter in the 1800s. Whether you’re an art aficionado or don’t know a Manet from a Monet, you’ve likely seen his famous works, including “Starry Night” with its indigo, cobalt and golden swirls hanging over a small village. He was also known to be a deeply troubled individual who cut off his ear and attempted suicide by shooting himself in the stomach. Additionally, of his many works of art, only one painting sold in his lifetime. For someone in pursuit of creative endeavors, I can relate to how that lack of recognition must have stung. Although I’ll probably keep my ears.

The film takes place one year after van Gogh’s death. A letter he has written to his brother remains undelivered. The postman, played by Chris O’Dowd, and whose character in real life was very fond of van Gogh, pleads with his son to find Vincent’s brother and deliver the letter. This sets the postman’s son, Armand, played by Douglas Booth, on an unwanted and ultimately enlightening mission.

I do have to confess that van Gogh’s style of painting, and those of others in his genre and period, have never been that appealing to me. The short, thick, blobby strokes always make me think of finger painting, which makes me think of sticky fingers. And I don’t like sticky fingers. Several of the scenes in the film (told as the “present”) emulate this style and actually incorporate many of van Gogh’s paintings into the storyline. The animation makes every brush stroke vibrate and pulse as though each scene has a beating heart.

And while the concept of a film created entirely in oil paint is quite fascinating, it is the flashback scenes in black and white that completely captivated me. If you sketch with pencil or charcoal and appreciate the amazing spectrum that can be achieved with black, gray and white, you too will find these scenes engrossing. So much so that a few times, I actually lost sight of the animation and thought I was just watching a black-and-white film.

The film raises some interesting questions about the actual events surrounding van Gogh’s death, but ultimately seeks to reveal more about his life. For those of you who missed it (PMA shows in November are sold out), there are still dates in December, and more information can be found on the museum’s website, www.portlandmuseum.org.