"Bright Star"

⭐⭐⭐⭐½💖

Writing letters the old fashioned pen and paper way has always been appealing to me. I used to love buying and writing letters on fancy stationery with my favorite pens. I loved the paper so much I often kept the last sheet in each set. I still have some of those last sheets and partial sets today in what I call my stationery drawer.

As you know, I'm also a fan of watching movies. So last year on National Letter Writing Day (I love that there is a national day to recognize this somewhat lost art), I decided to search for movies that involve writing letters. This probably sounds mundane to some people, but there is so much beauty in the written word. Modern technology and instant gratification makes it easy to forget that. So I thought to myself, "How perfect it would be if this artistic form of expression was portrayed on screen."

My search resulted in some movies I had heard of and at least one that I had already seen, "The Notebook". "The Notebook" isn't really centered on writing letters, but there is an important scene that involves letters. Those tangible letters showed how Noah's love for Allie persevered even while they were apart. 

My search also turned up some movies I had never heard of and it was then that I stumbled upon the gem called, "Bright Star". I then did some research specifically on this movie and I found that it received rave reviews. Furthermore, I found that the plot is developed through letters and that it is a bibliographical film about a poet, John Keats. Poetry is another interest of mine that has been with me since I was growing up. I don't write poetry as often as I used to, but it was back then a creative outlet that got me through some emotional times. And as if that isn't enough, John Keats lived in the early 1800's. Therefore the movie takes place in my favorite time period for movies, not long before the Victorian Era began. 

I was hooked.

Since it's a movie featuring a poet, I decided to wait until National Poetry Month, which is in April, to watch it. I had heard of John Keats before, but I was not familiar with his work, nor his life. I was very excited to watch this movie and it did not disappoint.

While the beginning was a little confusing to me with so many characters being introduced, I soon found my groove in it and never lost interest once I did. The movie spans three years, the final three years, of John Keats's life. Specifically, it focuses on the complicated romantic relationship between Keats and Fanny Brawne. While Ben Whishaw does a stellar job in his role as John Keats, Abbie Cornish, who plays Fanny really is the brightest star in this film. Their relationship wasn't easy and Cornish does a phenomenal showing the different emotions she went through during their time together. I felt her pain, as well as her endearing love for him. Her dislike for Keats's best friend is also believable. By the same token, I also felt the pain Keats was experiencing within himself. It saddened me to learn that he never recognized the gift he had for writing such beautiful poetry. It also hurt me to learn he felt he could not pursue anything serious with the love of his life.

During the times when Keats and Brawne are apart, they write letters to each other. Watching characters write letters to each other could be boring, but it isn't in this movie. Those moments are used for narration and it's seamlessly worked into the movie. Plus, there's just something about seeing and hearing a fountain pen glide across a sheet of paper.

The movie ends with the death of John Keats at the young age of 25. I didn't realize he was so young when he died. It was only after that, that he became widely recognized as one of the greatest poets of his time. While the credits are rolling, Keats's poem, "Bright Star" is recited by Ben Whishaw. It's beautiful and you are missing out if you don't stick around for it.

Apart from believable acting, deeply emotional and engaging dialogue, and a compelling plot based on a true story, the musical score is spot on and some of the scenery is breathtaking. I love how the passage of time is shown through the changing seasons. The movie makes me now want to read more of Keats's poetry. I'm so glad I did that internet search which led me to "Bright Star". It's one I'll likely watch again in the future.