MOVIE: BRIGHT STAR

There’s no disguising the true Romantic tragedy that was John Keats’ life. Due in part to the lack of credit his poetry was given during his lifetime and along with his untimely death at the age of twenty-five, the tragedy is reinforced by the love affair he had with Fanny Brawne. Director Jane Campion’s Bright Star (named after the poem Keats wrote for Brawne) tells of the desire, passion and determination of this love through Brawne’s restricted and chaperoned experience. The restraint’s placed on Brawne and Keats are mimicked in the tempo of the film, while Greig Fraser’s cinematography beautifully captures the shade and light of their romance as it ebbs and flows through the seasons. Both Abbey Cornish, as Brawne, and Ben Wishaw, as Keats, give subtle but honest performances, infusing their characters with intrigue and evoke genuine empathy from their audience. (NG)