The Romantics

You know those English drawing room dramas that get all the attention around Oscar time? Sometimes they can be quite beautiful if you give them a chance. Other times they cure insomnia quicker than Ambien. I have to be in the mood for one these flicks. "Bright Star" put me in the mood.
This passionate yet chaste story tells of the romantic love and tragic end of poet John Keats who died at 25. That's not a spoiler if you where paying attention in your High School English class like you should have been. The lyrical love poems he wrote to his beautiful neighbor are the basis for his reputation as one of the greatest of the Romantic Poets.
But here the real artist is director Jane Campion. This is a story that needs a sure hand and Campion provides it, against her instincts, I think. She is usually a director with a rougher, almost gritty edge. "Bright Star" is told with much gentler brush strokes. It's the romantics after all. There is a stillness to her camera that allows for the boldness of her characters without adding to it.
And her characters are bold. Abby Cornish plays Keats' muse Fanny Brawne with restrained power. Ben Wishaw's Keats is ethereal and poetic without being, well, a wussy. These two don't really match physically but there is no doubt about the chemistry. 19th century sizzle. Next time love is messin' with your head, gather the kleenex and a pint of Haagen-Daaz and have at it with "Bright Star".
Oh and Abby Cornish is under serious consideration for my Best Actress list.