“Velvet Buzzsaw” is a satirical horror film about art, money and the supernatural. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Morf Vandewalt, a Los Angeles art critic whose career takes a sharp turn when he discovers a collection of paintings by an unknown artist named Vetril Dease. The movie, directed and written by Dan Gilroy, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on January 27. It runs 112 minutes.
The premise is simple. Dease’s paintings are found in his apartment building, partially destroyed and covered in blood. Morf and his friend Josephina steal them to show Rhodora Haze, the wealthy owner of the Haze Gallery. Rhodora exhibits the works, and they become a sensation. The film then watches as the paintings start killing the people who own them.
Trailer, via Netflix.
Morf Vandewalt and the Dease Collection
Morf is a man who wants to be taken seriously. He is an art critic who has spent years trying to get a gallery to take him seriously. When Dease’s paintings arrive, he sees his chance. He becomes obsessed with the works, and his obsession drives him to betray Josephina, who introduced him to the paintings in the first place.
Rene Russo plays Rhodora Haze, the wealthy collector who buys the paintings. She is a woman who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. She is also deeply cynical about art, seeing it as a commodity rather than a calling. Her gallery is a business, and the Dease paintings are a product.
Toni Collette plays Gretchen, Morf’s curator friend, who is also drawn to the paintings. Zawe Ashton plays Josephina, the young woman who steals the paintings from Dease’s apartment. Tom Sturridge plays Jon Dondon, a rival gallery owner who tries to dig into Dease’s past. Daveed Diggs plays Damrish, an up-and-coming artist who is also interested in the works. Billy Magnussen plays Bryson, the gallery worker who transports the paintings to storage and meets a fiery fate.
John Malkovich plays Piers, a former artist for the Haze Gallery. He is a man who has seen the art world from the inside and knows its dark side. His performance is the highlight of the film. He brings a weary intelligence to the role, and his scenes with Morf are the sharpest in the movie.
The Satire Behind the Horror
The film is a satire of the art world, but it is also a horror movie. The paintings are cursed. They kill anyone who touches them. The horror is not just supernatural. It is also social. The film suggests that the art world is full of people who care more about money than about art. Rhodora is a collector who buys works to display, not to enjoy. Morf is a critic who writes about art to get noticed, not to understand it. The paintings are a mirror, and they reflect back the worst parts of these people.
The satire is effective because it is personal. The characters are all people we know. We have met them at galleries, at openings, at parties. We have heard them talk about art in terms of value, not meaning. The film makes us laugh, and then it makes us uncomfortable.
The film is also a commentary on the way we consume art. We look at paintings and think about their value, their provenance, their history. We rarely stop to ask what they mean. The Dease paintings are beautiful, but they are also dangerous. They are a warning.
“All Art Is Dangerous”
The Supernatural Element
The supernatural element is the weakest part of the film. The paintings are alive, and they can move. They can pull people into themselves. They can burn. These effects are well executed, but they feel like a trick. The film sets up a supernatural threat, but it never explains it. There is no mythology, no rules, no consequences. The paintings just burn people, and that is that.
The film also struggles with tone. It is a satire, but it is also a horror movie. It is a black comedy, but it is also a thriller. The film tries to balance all of these tones, and it fails. The result is a movie that feels scattered. It is never sure what it wants to be.
The film is at its best when it is focused on the characters. The scenes between Morf and Rhodora are tense. The scenes between Morf and Gretchen are funny. The scenes between Morf and Piers are sharp. When the film lets the characters breathe, it is good. When it forces them into the supernatural, it loses momentum.
The Cast Carries the Weight
The cast is uniformly excellent. Jake Gyllenhaal is a chameleon, and he disappears into the role of Morf. He is a man who is smart, but not wise. He is ambitious, but not honest. He is a critic who believes in art, but he is also a man who wants to be famous. Gyllenhaal plays all of this with a quiet intensity. He is the center of the film, and he holds it together.
Rene Russo is a revelation. She plays Rhodora as a woman who is both calculating and confident. She is a collector, but she is also a connoisseur. She knows what she likes, and she knows what she wants. Russo brings a cold precision to the role. She is a woman who is used to getting what she wants, and she is not afraid to use her charm to get it.
Zawe Ashton is a scene-stealer. She plays Josephina as a woman who is naive, but not stupid. She is a young woman who is drawn to Morf, but she is also drawn to the paintings. She is a character who is caught between two worlds, and Ashton plays that tension with a mix of innocence and cunning. She is the character who steals the paintings, and she pays for it.
Toni Collette is perfect as Gretchen. She is a curator who is obsessed with the paintings, but she is also a woman who is suspicious of Rhodora. She is a character who is trapped in the art world, and Collette plays her with a weariness that is both comic and tragic. She is a woman who has seen too much, and she is tired of it.
Tom Sturridge is a wild card. He plays Jon Dondon as a man who is desperate for attention. He is a rival gallery owner who is willing to do anything to get ahead. He is a character who is driven by jealousy, and Sturridge plays him with a manic energy. He is a man who is lost, and he is a man who is dangerous.
Daveed Diggs is a standout. He plays Damrish as a young artist who is hungry for recognition. He is a man who is drawn to the paintings, but he is also a man who is wary of them. Diggs brings a sense of wonder to the role. He is a man who is excited about the paintings, but he is also a man who is scared of them.
Billy Magnussen is a man of few words. He plays Bryson as a gallery worker who is just doing his job. He is a man who is unlucky, and Magnussen plays him with a sense of resignation. He is a man who is doomed, and he knows it.
John Malkovich is a man of many words. He plays Piers as a former artist who is bitter about the art world. He is a man who has seen the corruption, and he is angry about it. Malkovich brings a sense of weariness to the role. He is a man who is tired of the art world, and he is a man who is tired of the people in it.
The Weaknesses
The film is not without flaws. The plot is convoluted, and it is easy to lose track of who is doing what to whom. The supernatural elements are under-explained, and the film relies on shock value rather than logic. The ending is abrupt, and it leaves the audience wanting more.
The film also suffers from a lack of focus. It is a satire, a horror movie, a thriller, a romance, and a character study. It tries to do too much, and it does none of it justice. The result is a movie that is messy, but not necessarily in a good way.
The film is also limited by its premise. The idea of cursed paintings is clever, but it is also limiting. The film is forced to keep the paintings at the center of the story, even when they are not the most interesting part. This means that the characters are often secondary to the objects they are pursuing.
The film is also a product of its time. It is a movie about the art world, and it reflects the current moment. The art world is currently dominated by collectors, galleries, and critics. The film captures this moment with a sharp eye. It is a movie about the way we consume art, and it is a movie about the way we consume each other.
The Final Verdict
“Velvet Buzzsaw” is a flawed, but fascinating film. It is a satire that is both clever and cruel. It is a horror movie that is both scary and silly. It is a character study that is both deep and shallow. It is a movie that is worth watching, even if it is not a movie that is easy to recommend.
The film is a reflection of the art world, and it is a reflection of the society that created it. It is a movie about the way we treat art, and it is a movie about the way we treat each other. It is a movie that is both beautiful and dangerous.
The film is a mixed bag, but it is a bag that is worth opening. It is a movie that rewards attention, even if it does not reward patience. It is a movie that is better than its reputation, and it is a movie that is worse than its ambitions.
The film is a warning, and it is a celebration. It is a movie about the power of art, and it is a movie about the danger of art. It is a movie that is both beautiful and terrifying.
Score: 6.1 out of 10.
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