By John Saeger
The Last Vermeer is the story of an artist, a fraud, and the vanity of an audience. The film extends the premise of a true World War II era story to ask important questions about art. This continues a recurring theme from one of the film’s creators that he last explored almost a decade ago.
Directed by first-timer Dan Friedkin, The Last Vermeer takes place as the Allies try Nazi collaborators while Europe transitions from wartime. Captain Joseph Pillar (Claes Bang) continues his investigation of Dutch traitors by questioning art broker Han van Meegren (Guy Pearce). van Meegren, who possessed a reputation as a failed painter, was then widely known as the man who sold a treasured painting to leading Nazi official Hermann Goring.
The ensuing story unravels the complexity of the Nazi occupation. Elements of the film are cleaned up for a wider audience and obscure history to wrap the movie conveniently. This gives a mixed result to The Last Vermeer, which is a solid movie for people who enjoy non-action pieces of the period like The Imitation Game.
While the movie itself offers a basic snapshot of the postwar climate, it asks important existentialist questions on why art is created. The idea of an artist painting for praise versus artistic merit are openly posed by Pearce’s character. As the film unfolds, the egocentric nature of the lead shifts to the audience.
This primarily entails a look at how art is valued. The ownership of historical art in this instance is not the same as owning popular art, but work that is acclaimed and valued for self-aggrandizing purpose. Essentially: is it appreciation for the art itself or the validation that adding an esteemed piece to your collection brings? These ideals are recurring themes in from of the film’s primary creators.
The screenplay is co-written by John Orloff, who notably penned two powerful episodes of the HBO series Band Of Brothers. One of these episodes, “Why We Fight,” follows Easy Company as they liberate a concentration camp and unravel a dark period of history in Germany. Orloff shifts the story from Germany to the Netherlands and discusses the relationship of civilians with Nazis at greater length.
The Last Vermeer also continues motifs of artistic authenticity that Orloff previously unearthed in the 2011 film Anonymous. That work delves into one of several longstanding theories that William Shakespeare is not responsible for writing the plays widely attributed to him. It may not be a coincidence that the Orloff wrote The Last Vermeer under a pseudonym as he questions the existential value of historical art.
The film’s primary story is something that can be easily absorbed by an inquisitive audience. Not unlike Anonymous, however, the true value of creatives is the evergreen topic in The Last Vermeer. It is an inquest brought to the audience during the film and leaves sufficient room for conversation after the credits roll.
About the Author: John Saeger is a music and film writer from Philadelphia. Since 2017 he has been writing his pop-culture blog Long After Dark, a site dedicated to the arts in the City of Brotherly Love and beyond. Email/ Twitter
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