Letters to Vincent

Brieven aan Vincent

A group of women, patients in a psychiatric hospital, send letters to one of the institution's former residents, Vincent van Gogh.

Near the end of his life, the painter Vincent van Gogh spent a year in a psychiatric hospital in Saint-Remy-de Provence, during which time he painted many of his most famous works, and wrote many letters to his brother Theo and his sister Wil. The psychiatric hospital is still active today. The women who live there often spend their days painting. By inviting these women and van Gogh into dialogue, the film brings together a common experience that transcends time and gender. The letters of van Gogh inspire the women to find their own solace in Saint-Remy-de Provence – in painting, nature, letter-writing and each other.

This film will screen as part of the programme Shorts: Haunted by the Present.