Released on March 23, “Final Portrait” tells the story of artist Alberto Giacometti as he paints a portrait of his old friend, James Lord. Sitting for the painting was only supposed to last Lord a single day, but the process slowly turned into three weeks.
The film was adapted from the 1965 memoir Lord authored, detailing his experience and interactions with the pessimistic and selfish artist Giacometti. Lord’s memoir is titled “A Giacometti Portrait.”
Like the memoir, the film is set in Paris, France in 1964 and follows Lord’s perspectives and ever-changing feelings of Giacometti’s lifestyle, thought process and work.
As one could imagine, Lord, who is an American critic and writer, was strongly inconvenienced by sitting for a portrait for three weeks, and his feelings for Giacometti changed greatly throughout the process.
Does Lord really consider Giacometti an old friend? Is Giacometti a respectable artist? Is he just crazy and mean? Is Giacometti wasting Lord’s precious time for a sub-par painting?
These are all questions Lord finds himself asking throughout their time together.
The strong fluctuation of Lord’s emotions and the chaotic mess of Giacometti’s life made for a film that called me to question my own relationships and evaluate how I view and treat other people.
The film also called me to look at the purpose I have for my life. It was intellectual and inspirational and made me call my daily actions into perspective.
Giacometti is a very messy artist who lives a life that is far from normal and has a mind that works in a way I would consider far from average. The movie called me to evaluate if I am living my life in a normal way and if the way I live my life today is worth the outcome.
The film was both written and directed by the well-known actor Stanley Tucci and received an R rating for its use of adult language, sexual language and nudity.
Giacometti was played by Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush, who has also received a Golden Globe and Australian Film Institute Award for his work.
Lord was played by Armie Hammer, who is best known for his position as the title character in the 2013 film “The Lone Ranger.”
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Overall, the two men did an amazing job portraying the developing and rocky relationship between artist and critic, and Stanley Tucci did an incredible job at making a seemingly average story breathtaking.
Not only does the film provide the audience with a new outlook on art and the artistic process, but also on the mind of the late artist Giacometti and the life he lived.
I would suggest viewing “The Final Portrait” to anyone who is in the mood for a movie that allows them to question their own experiences.
The film was most definitely worth the price of a ticket.
Timber Mabes is a culture reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @timbermabes.
