

A portrait of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt whose lavish, sexual paintings came to symbolize the art nouveau style of the late 19th and early 20th century.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like it wants to be kissed. Liquid gold everywhere.
Acting
Malkovich doing that thing where he's barely awake yet completely commanding.
Costume
Silks, feathers, and enough ornamentation to bankrupt a minor empire.

Director
Raúl Ruiz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Raúl Ruiz filmed this while dying of cancer; he passed away in 2011. The film's preoccupation with death and legacy feels almost prophetically personal.
The real Klimt never painted a self-portrait, claiming he was 'less interesting than his work.' Malkovich's performance deliberately obscures the man behind the myth.