Fact-based and intercut with a delicate and delightful improvised human touch, the tale of when a needle-point expert meets a poet who would only reach acclaim well after his death, is an expertly crafted, controlled, distilled and a visually alluring splendor. Campion eloquently confections a 19th century tale without the trinkets or the usual distractions, the helmer works with simple strokes and elicits a soft undercurrent of emotions with strong visual cues with film’s final sequence, an affecting, most profound use of voice-over we’ll find this year, leaving certain viewers teary-eyed. Bright Star is dutifully packaged with no incumbent score to bring on huge melodramatic motions and no overwrought performances to remind us that this union will never materialize.
Set in the English countryside, a lieu that clashes with the unforgiving London scene, the film’s characters seem to glow in the four seasons. The period drama essentially works in two verses, the first concedes that the way to a women’s heart, in this case Fanny Brawe’s (Abbie Cornish), is a combination of the written word and an appreciation for someone (Keats played by Ben Whishaw) who measures up in talent and wit departments. In 1818, matters of the heart are almost agreed to well beforehand even for the middle class, and social conventions stifles lust, but it has a tendency of making the attraction grow fonder. Besides such detractors as a mother (Kerry Fox) looking out for her daughter’s best interests and a fellow poet (Paul Schneider) who doesn’t want his good friend to lose his gift with stanzas, what keeps them apart is simple math – poetry can’t support a future wife. The second verse reminds us of the cruel nature of life and Campion’s chosen vantage point of view, selecting the one who receives the poetry in order to give a sense of Keats importance is fundamentally what gives the film its unique bouquet.
Before agony being measured in the minutes, hours, days without a sealed envelope and prior to the lingering sense of doom and tragedy take a chokehold of the emancipated love story, the fuzzy, feel-good portion of the film are moments where the poetry is read out loud and where the characters are feeling out each other’s sensibilities. Campion gives us a sense that their connection was indeed profound, by highlighting the emotional output of her characters and this overwhelming sense of restraint only builds the tension and character interest.
Performances aren’t necessarily commanding, but the scenes feel carefully weighted, and when poetry is introduced, it feels naturally embedded and doesn’t point to itself. Strong production values all around, specifically in how Campion isolates Cornish is her moments of solitude and then manipulates the film speed making the following shots linger on well after the specific scene as ended.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser’s indoors and exteriors gorgeous, performance and focus camerawork subtle mannerisms in the shots and production and costume designer Janet Patterson’s playground and its natural surrounding splendor is distinctly “poeticâ€. Mark Bradshaw’s score is precisely introduced in the moments you would expect it the least making the film feel fresh with the arsenal of tools used sparingly and cautiously.
The anti-thesis of a biographical film, this doesn’t attempt to over-power the senses, and might be slightly less sophisticated and emotionally complex than Campion’s 1993 film, The Piano, but there is an ecstasy to be found in a love story that was never emancipated. Special effects don’t need to be done digitally, they can be done be two hands be touched, the emptying out all contents of a soul on paper or the penmanship care found on the front of an envelope. There have been years where period dramas were the equivalent to box office poison, but one might be hard-pressed to find a better film in the genre that doesn’t depend solely on the look of the period and somehow manages to avoid cliché. Bright Star is adult fair that could cross over into the interests of younger art-house patrons, and for anyone who considers themselves romantics at heart.
Reviewed at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Main Competition Section.
119 Mins. May, 15th, 2009
