Queenslander Geoffrey Rush stars as world-renowned artist Alberto Giacometti in this bewitching film about the chaotic ebb and flow of the artistic process.
Strolling through Paris in 1964, American writer and art critic James Lord (Armie Hammer) bumps into an old friend, the exuberant and eccentric Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti. Flattered and intrigued by an invitation to sit for a portrait for a few hours, Lord agrees - but as hours turn into days, and days turn into weeks (with frequent visits to the pub next door), he realises his life is now at the mercy of the master’s muse, and he may be trapped in this cramped garret studio for some time.
Written and directed by acclaimed actor Stanley Tucci, Final Portrait is the story of an unlikely yet touching friendship between two very different men – Giacometti the cranky and mercurial genius and Lord his impeccably polite and strait-laced foil - bonded together through the creative process.
Focusing in on just a few weeks in the life of the celebrated artist near the end of his life, and anchored by a pair of superb performances, Tucci’s film is a unique and intense biopic that reveals much about the frustration and joy involved in the bewildering act of making art, and the blessing or curse that accompanies true talent.
Wednesday 23rd August
90 min
15+
Film Festival
