Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In 1818, high-spirited young Fanny Brawne finds herself increasingly intrigued by the handsome but aloof poet John Keats, who lives next door to her family friends the Dilkes. After reading a book of his poetry, she finds herself even more drawn to the taciturn Keats. Although he agrees to teach her about poetry, Keats cannot act on his reciprocated feelings for Fanny, since as a struggling poet he has no money to support a wife.
Jane Campion's Bright Star is a ravishingly shot period romance, with cinematographer Greig Fraser delivering luminous, painterly imagery that perfectly mirrors Keats's sensory verse. Abbie Cornish and Ben Whishaw give deeply felt, restrained performances that elevate the material considerably. The plot, however, is somewhat thin — a slow-burn romance constrained by circumstance — and while it suits the elegiac tone, it offers little narrative propulsion. The film's novelty lies in Campion's distinctly feminine, intimate lens on a canonical male poet, though the period romance form itself is familiar. The ending, while emotionally resonant in its grief, arrives somewhat inevitably given the historical record, limiting its dramatic impact.