Starring Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, and Paul Schneider
Directed by Jane Campion
Directed by Jane Campion
I had to look over the list of movies I had watched in 2009 to be sure, but I can wholeheartedly say that Bright Star is the most romantic movie of the year. Buoyed by four incredibly strong performances, director Jane Campion weaves a tale of passion without the least bit of luridness -- a relationship based on actual love rather than simply something physical.
Newcomer (to me, anyway) Abbie Cornish is Fanny Brawne, a seamstress/clothing designer, who, despite her young age, certainly has her own set of opinions and isn't afraid to make them known. This being the early 19th century, her opinions are not always greeted with enthusiasm from male counterparts, including Mr. Brown (Paul Schneider), an aspiring poet and friend of John Keats (Ben Whishaw), another aspiring poet, who both share a home with the Brawne family. Fanny and Keats soon embark on a romance that isn't greeted too fondly by those around them -- Mr. Brown feels that Fanny is stunting Keats' creativity, and Fanny's mother (Kerry Fox) believes that a poet cannot provide financial support for a spouse.
We've certainly seen this type of story depicted before and it's not that director Campion does anything over-the-top. In fact, it's the subdued style of the film that helps the four actors mentioned above stand out from the beautiful scenery. Still, despite the lack of camera trickery, the film is a joy to look at, with "nature" itself playing yet another character, echoing the emotions of the actors, which, while it sounds corny, works incredibly well.
Abbie Cornish is stellar here as Fanny. She creates a vulnerable young woman, unafraid to love, but well aware of the hurt that comes from that emotion. To me, crying and completely breaking down onscreen oftentimes can come off as corny and/or scream "OSCAR BAIT!", but the final ten minutes of this film are a showcase for Cornish's talent. Some excellent work on display, for sure.
And Cornish is balanced wonderfully by Ben Whishaw. Keats is perhaps an even tougher character to play here than Fanny. He needs to be intelligent, but doubtful of his talent. Romantic, but uncertain why anyone could love him. Wistful and dreamy, but grounded. He's a man full of contradictory emotions and Whishaw is, for lack of a better word, elegant here. He's absolutely subdued, but completely holds your attention.
And Cornish and Whishaw together -- what a couple! They work so well together and made every moment they shared completely believable. There wasn't a moment I doubted their characters' love for one another.
And I didn't even discuss the brilliantly mean Paul Schnieder (the only actor here I was actually familiar with) as Keats' friend and the kindly Kerry Fox as Fanny's mother. All the actors in this movie (even those I haven't mentioned) proved they deserve to be on the big screen. One of the best ensembles of the year.
So, with all this good, it's a shame that the movie moves along a little too slowly. I really can't think of any scene I would've even wanted Campion to have cut, but there were moments here and there where I was a little bored.
Still, this is an intelligent romance, filled with some beautiful poetry (stick around through the credits to hear Whishaw recite one of Keats' works over a lulling melody) and some great performances.
Newcomer (to me, anyway) Abbie Cornish is Fanny Brawne, a seamstress/clothing designer, who, despite her young age, certainly has her own set of opinions and isn't afraid to make them known. This being the early 19th century, her opinions are not always greeted with enthusiasm from male counterparts, including Mr. Brown (Paul Schneider), an aspiring poet and friend of John Keats (Ben Whishaw), another aspiring poet, who both share a home with the Brawne family. Fanny and Keats soon embark on a romance that isn't greeted too fondly by those around them -- Mr. Brown feels that Fanny is stunting Keats' creativity, and Fanny's mother (Kerry Fox) believes that a poet cannot provide financial support for a spouse.
We've certainly seen this type of story depicted before and it's not that director Campion does anything over-the-top. In fact, it's the subdued style of the film that helps the four actors mentioned above stand out from the beautiful scenery. Still, despite the lack of camera trickery, the film is a joy to look at, with "nature" itself playing yet another character, echoing the emotions of the actors, which, while it sounds corny, works incredibly well.
Abbie Cornish is stellar here as Fanny. She creates a vulnerable young woman, unafraid to love, but well aware of the hurt that comes from that emotion. To me, crying and completely breaking down onscreen oftentimes can come off as corny and/or scream "OSCAR BAIT!", but the final ten minutes of this film are a showcase for Cornish's talent. Some excellent work on display, for sure.
And Cornish is balanced wonderfully by Ben Whishaw. Keats is perhaps an even tougher character to play here than Fanny. He needs to be intelligent, but doubtful of his talent. Romantic, but uncertain why anyone could love him. Wistful and dreamy, but grounded. He's a man full of contradictory emotions and Whishaw is, for lack of a better word, elegant here. He's absolutely subdued, but completely holds your attention.
And Cornish and Whishaw together -- what a couple! They work so well together and made every moment they shared completely believable. There wasn't a moment I doubted their characters' love for one another.
And I didn't even discuss the brilliantly mean Paul Schnieder (the only actor here I was actually familiar with) as Keats' friend and the kindly Kerry Fox as Fanny's mother. All the actors in this movie (even those I haven't mentioned) proved they deserve to be on the big screen. One of the best ensembles of the year.
So, with all this good, it's a shame that the movie moves along a little too slowly. I really can't think of any scene I would've even wanted Campion to have cut, but there were moments here and there where I was a little bored.
Still, this is an intelligent romance, filled with some beautiful poetry (stick around through the credits to hear Whishaw recite one of Keats' works over a lulling melody) and some great performances.
The RyMickey Rating: B+
booooo. I wish I could have gone to this. I've been waiting for this to come out!
ReplyDeleteYou and your new job...you're gonna miss out on all this stuff! The perils of working opposite shifts from me!
ReplyDelete