5Bright Star

It is for good reason that Sterkinekor has separated its main junction from its cinema nouveau. Your average film goer is expecting his R50 to buy him battles involving giant elephants taking on the armies of the dead, gun fights during which people in trench coats dodge bullets and Samuel L. Jackson shouting, “I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!” It is the ability of the cinema to create these events in all their splendour that give it such drawing power ($2,462,821,000 of drawing power, as a group of large, blue people have just proven). However, this has absolutely nothing to do with Bright Star and I suggest you have nothing to do with it either if you see you attend movies purely for the above mentioned reasons.

That being said Bright Star, which follows the relationship of poet John Keats (Ben Wishaw) and Fanny Brawn (Abbie Cornish), is a brilliant movie and has already picked up 14 nominations, including an Oscar. Written and directed by Jane Campion, its strength comes from the strong performances of the cast, most notably the two lead roles and that of Mr. Brown, played by Paul Schneider. This is complemented by some breathtaking cinematography and costume design that pull the viewer into the 18th century. The script is a partial disappointment as the action starts very slowly and the viewer only becomes truly involved during the final act. Fortunately this does not negate the fact that it was very well written and the themes of love and death that Campion has focused on will give you cause for thought well after the final frame has passed through the projector.

Quentin Tarantino remarked through his main character in True Romance, “you know, most of these movies that win a lot of Oscars, I can't stand them. They're all safe, geriatric coffee-table dogshit.” He would undoubtedly consider Bright Star in the same category. However, if you enjoy watching movies that celebrate what it means to be human and add value to your life Bright Star is more than worth watching.