It’s a trial about way more than art in The Last Vermeer, the debut of director Dan Friedkin.
Of all the terrible things the Nazis did, hoarding of art is pretty low on the list, but it had an unmistakable impact on the distribution and preservation of these invaluable pieces of culture. As with all things, anyone who may have aided them on their quest came under intense scrutiny after the war, their loyalty and culpability put into question at a time when aiding the Nazis could mean death. That’s the uncomfortable position one prominent artist found himself in after a Vermeer was found in his home and his history of extravagant parties, which included Nazis, was brought to light. However, one of the investigators wasn’t so sure he’s one of the bad guys.
Roughly based on the life of Han van Meegeren, this promises to be a twisty tale of fraught morals. Being his first feature it’s hard to tell how Friedkin will handle this, but from the look of the trailer, it seems he took a rather traditional approach to this historical drama.
What’s flashy here is its pair of lead actors: Claes Bang and Guy Pearce. Bang, who you may know from The Square, is the man who doesn’t buy the easy story while Pearce is the secretive artist. Seeing those two go at it should be an intriguing chess match, with the rest just being icing on the cake.
The Last Vermeer is directed by Dan Friedkin and stars Claes Bang and Guy Pearce. It will be released theatrically in the US on November 20th, 2020. Further release dates are not currently known.
Will you check this one out? Let us know in the comments!
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