Period pieces, specifically those showcasing lovelorn women unable to realize their true passions, aren't rare these days. Over the past few years, films such as "The Duchess," "Becoming Jane" and "Pride & Prejudice" have probed stories of women far ahead of their time — women who seek to marry for love rather than for money or power. These films are often based on true stories, but they still run the risk of blending together.
"Bright Star," the new film by Academy Award-winner Jane Campion, is just that kind of movie, but fortunately, it stands out from the pack with its unexpected sense of humor and a fantastic lead performance by rising star Abbie Cornish.
"Bright Star" is about a poet, so it's fitting that Campion weaves a poetic narrative about a woman who falls in love. The story is based on the short life of the legendary Romantic poet John Keats and the love letters he exchanged with his muse, Fanny Brawne.
The movie isn't primarily about Keats. It's also the story of Fanny — how she sought to immerse herself in the world of poetry and literature while everyone else told her to be content sitting around and sewing.
The title is a reference to one of Keats' sonnets, and the film's tagline reads, "first love burns brightest." Keats may have lived only to age of 25, but what he shared with Brawne was deep and meaningful. The film implies that their love remained with Brawne for the whole of her considerably longer life.
Brawne is made magnificently three-dimensional by Cornish's performance. Cornish's credits include scene-stealing small parts in "A Good Year," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and "Stop-Loss," but in "Bright Star," she's a revelation. She's hardly the typical romantic lead — not quite as regal as Keira Knightley or as utterly charming as Anne Hathaway.
But what she possesses, and what those two actresses lack, is a startling ability to seduce everyone around her with scorn and sarcasm. The chemistry Cornish has with costar Ben Wishaw, who plays Keats, is mostly unspoken and almost entirely implied. But it's there, and it's powerful.
Paul Schneider, known for his dramatic contributions to films such as "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" and "Lars and the Real Girl," shows his funnier side as an irritable Irishman who wants Keats all to himself. The three characters form a love triangle that is far more entertaining than we might expect from a period piece. The film comes alive and seems just as relevant as any modern-day love story. After an impressive start, the film occasionally drags on, but Cornish's excellent performance never loses its fire and always keeps the film engaging.
