Henri de Gerlache’s film explores a little-known period of Van Gogh’s life and opens the hypothesis that his stay in the coal mines of Hainaut at the end of the 19th century had a strong influence on him, to the point of finding in what he encountered on a daily basis, the need to paint. The world of painting is not a discovery for Van Gogh, he knows the workings of it since his earliest childhood, but while he thought to turn away from it by committing himself as a pastor among the poor, he will rediscover his vocation as a painter in the Borinage.
Would the experience of darkness have given birth to color and light in Van Gogh? To evoke this, the director has imagined the Way of the Cross that was his stay in Borin through 14 stations sometimes linked to earlier moments of his youth; a tortuous path that Vincent knew before becoming Van Gogh. The focal points of the film are the letters written by Vincent to his brother Theo during this period. The only real documentary sources of this period, they were also put forward for their literary value.
It is Tom Barman (dEUS – Magnus) who immerses us in these writings by giving them a breath, an inspiration. We follow the reader as a guide in the footsteps of the letters he recites, in the places as they remain today. A contemporary interpretation to give a contemporary echo to the artist’s quest.