Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer manage to paint so photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography? Spanning a decade, Jenison's adventure takes him to Holland, on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artista David Hockney, and eventually even to Buckingham Palace. The epic research project Jenison embarques on is as extraordinary as what he discovers.
Tim's Vermeer is a genuinely singular documentary — its central obsession is unusual enough to carry the whole film. Tim Jenison's hands-on, empirical approach to unlocking Vermeer's optical techniques is riveting and intellectually stimulating, earning high Novelty for its one-of-a-kind premise. The plot structure follows a satisfying investigative arc, though it can feel a little meandering in its middle stretches. Penn & Teller's involvement keeps the film lively and accessible, but the documentary format doesn't demand great acting. Cinematography is competent and functional — fine for the genre but unremarkable. The ending, showing the completed recreation, is emotionally resonant but not especially dramatic given the low-stakes nature of the endeavor.