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After the fall of Hitler in 1945, the world found itself with a whole lot of damage to repair. Some worked to rebuild. Some worked to arrest, try, and convict. Some just needed time to process and heal. In The Last Vermeer, one man sets out to return priceless works of art to their rightful owners.
The Last Vermeer takes place in the Netherlands after the end of WWII, as Joseph Piller (Claes Bang), a former member of the Resistance, investigates the theft and sale of Dutch treasures. Piller is determined to convict those who profited from stealing artwork from Jews and selling to the Nazis, and his investigation leads him to Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce), an artist who made a fortune selling art during the war. But after van Meegeren is arrested for working with the Nazis, Piller discovers that the case may not be as simple as he once suspected.
Based on the book The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathan Lopez, The Last Vermeer offers plenty of mystery and suspense while exploring some of the realities of life after the war: the pain, the emotions, the politics, and the ghosts that haunt the survivors. This isn’t a gut-wrenching WWII film, but it does take a fascinating look at two different characters and their position in the aftermath.
Piller isn’t just doing a job. As a Jewish member of the Resistance, he takes his job personally. He wants to make those who stole these valuable pieces from Jewish homes pay for their crimes. In a way, it seems to be his way of fixing the pain of the past—though, at the same time, he struggles to accept and move on from the things that he and his wife were forced to endure during the war to strengthen the Resistance.
Conversely, van Meegeren is upbeat and flamboyant—an opportunist who’s benefited from the world’s suffering. He’s made a fortune. He’s thrown parties. He’s surrounded himself with rich and influential people. But as it all crumbles down around him, he’s forced to make a decision about the version of himself that he’ll present: a man who worked with the enemy or one who swindled them out of millions that could have funded their war effort. Pearce’s performance is appropriately lively and captivating, with just the right air of mystery. He may not be a likable character, but he’s one who will charm and entertain audiences just as the man once charmed the courtroom decades ago.
The Last Vermeer isn’t the kind of powerful WWII drama that tends to hit theaters during award season. It won’t bring you to tears over the atrocities of the war. But it tells a fascinating story of art, opportunity, and recovery through the eyes of two very different men.
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