The magnificent sculptures of Auguste Rodin evoke feelings of passion, ecstasy, deep suffering, intense thought and perhaps above all, perpetual movement – as if they’re continuous works-in-progress that have been temporarily frozen in time.

It’s all the more unfortunate, then, that this new biopic by veteran French director Jacques Doillon often feels as stiff and lifeless as an old slab of marble. Starring Vincent Lindon (The Measure of a Man), who gives a physically imposing performance undercut by the film’s array of risible, borderline insufferable dialogue, Rodin at best provides insight into the great artist’s working methods, with the production...