Vincent Review: Portrait of Loneliness

Vincent is a heartfelt story about loneliness and connection, led by Mikkel Vadsholt’s standout performance.

Anchored by outstanding performances and evocative cinematography, the film explores themes of loneliness, friendship, and connection while occasionally stumbling with underdeveloped subplots and awkward dialogue.

The story follows Viggo (Herman Knopp), a bullied teenager struggling to navigate life as his parents go through divorce. Isolated and lost, Viggo meets Vincent (Mikkel Vadsholt), a stranger who sells ice cream but harbors an unspoken weight beneath his calm demeanor. On paper, Viggo and Vincent couldn’t be more different: one a vulnerable boy, the other an enigmatic man. But loneliness is a powerful unifier, and their bond becomes the film’s emotional core.

From its opening scenes, Vincent grabs your attention with its exceptional visual storytelling. The cinematography is undoubtedly the movie’s masterstroke. David Noel Bourke and his team frame each shot with precision, often using lighting to heighten emotion. Whether it’s a soft, golden hue illuminating of solace or a cold, dim palette capturing Vincent’s ambiguity, the visuals add layers of depth that words alone can’t achieve.

The success of Vincent hinges heavily on Mikkel Vadsholt’s performance as the titular Vincent, and he delivers in spades. Vadsholt is simply astounding, crafting a character who feels both approachable and deeply enigmatic. There’s always something simmering beneath Vincent’s calm exterior, a past we’re never quite allowed to see, emotions he’s careful not to reveal too openly. Vadsholt masters the art of restraint, hinting at layers of complexity without ever overplaying his hand. This makes Vincent feel human, flawed, and incredibly compelling.

His dynamic with Herman Knopp’s Viggo is the beating heart of the film. Despite their age difference and vastly different life experiences, Vincent and Viggo connect through their shared loneliness, and it’s this bond that drives the story forward. It’s rare to see a friendship portrayed so delicately and earnestly, there’s no forced sentimentality here, just two lost souls finding a bit of solace in each other’s company.

While the performances are strong, the dialogue sometimes feels a little off, likely due to its Danish-to-English translation in subtitles. Lines that are meant to sound natural occasionally come across as odd, breaking the immersion slightly. For instance, certain exchanges between Viggo and his parents feel awkward when I read the subtitles and it didn’t look right, which detracts from the otherwise powerful emotional scenes. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s noticeable enough to take you out of the story in some key moments.

The film does falter when it comes to its subplots, particularly the storyline involving Viggo’s father (Joachim Knop) investigating a murder. On paper, this side plot adds intrigue and raises questions about Vincent’s true nature, but it feels strangely forgotten as the movie progresses. With a tighter focus on Viggo and Vincent’s relationship, the murder investigation ends up feeling like an afterthought rather than a meaningful layer to the narrative.

This issue might have been solved if the film had a longer runtime. As it stands, Vincent is so laser-focused on the central friendship that other elements, like Viggo’s family dynamics and his father’s subplot, don’t get the attention they deserve. A bit more breathing room could have balanced these threads and created a more rounded experience.

Vincent is a beautifully shot and emotionally resonant movie that explores the universality of loneliness and the unexpected ways in which we find connection. Mikkel Vadsholt delivers an outstanding performance, and David Noel Bourke’s use of lighting and cinematography gives the story a quiet, haunting beauty. While some dialogue feels awkward and certain subplots are left underdeveloped, the core relationship between Viggo and Vincent is powerful enough to leave an impression.

In the end, Vincent reminds us that sometimes the most profound connections come from the unlikeliest places, and that even in isolation, we’re never truly alone.

Vincent was screened at the Ravenheart Film Festival, where it won the awards for Best Feature Film and Best Actor, and at the Dracula Film Festival. The film’s VOD release is TBA.