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Synopsis

Written and directed by Academy Award winner Jane Campion (The Piano), Bright Star is a riveting drama based on the three-year romance between 19th century poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), which was cut short by Keats' untimely death. London, 1818—a secret love affair begins between 23-year-old English poet John Keats and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair started at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general. But when Keats's younger brother falls ill John and Fanny are drawn together. Keats, touched by Fanny's efforts to help care for his brother, agrees to teach her poetry. By the time Fanny's alarmed mother (Kerry Fox) and Keats's best friend Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider) realize their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum.

Trailer

Film Information

• Genre: Drama, Romance
• Director: Jane Campion
• Written By: Jane Campion
• Starring: Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish, Paul Schneider, and Kerry Fox
• Running Time: 119 minutes, approx.
• MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, some sensuality, brief language and incidental smoking
• Language: English
• Official Site

Reviews

"Campion's big-sisterly encouragement of Cornish's lovely, openhearted performance -- and Whishaw's well-matched response -- results in a character instantly, intimately recognizable to anyone remembering her own first love."

   - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

"What makes the movie extraordinary, however, is not so much the portrait of a poet as the accuracy and the detail of the period re-creation."

   - David Denby, The New Yorker

"Ms. Campion, with her restless camera movements and off-center close-ups, films history in the present tense, and her wild vitality makes this movie romantic in every possible sense of the word."

   - Alissa Simon, The New York Times

"Bright Star may not be a joy forever but it will do until the next joy comes along."

   - Ray Bennett, The Hollywood Reporter

"Breaking through any period-piece mustiness with piercing insight into the emotions and behavior of her characters, the writer-director examines the final years in the short life of 19th-century romantic poet John Keats through the eyes of his beloved, Fanny Brawne, played by Abbie Cornish in an outstanding performance."

   - Todd McCarthy, Variety

Showtimes

• Friday, October 2nd
  6:15 pm, 9:00 pm
• Saturday, October 3rd
  3:30 pm, 6:15 pm, 9:00 pm
• Sunday, October 4th
  2:00 pm, 4:45 pm
• Monday, October 5th
  6:15 pm, 9:00 pm
• Tuesday, October 6th
  6:15 pm, 9:00 pm
• Wednesday, October 7th
  6:15 pm, 9:00 pm
• Thursday, October 8th
  6:15 pm, 9:00 pm
• Friday, October 9th
  8:45 pm
• Saturday, October 10th
  2:30 pm, 5:15 pm
• Sunday, October 11th
  4:00 pm
• Monday, October 12th
  8:45 pm
• Tuesday, October 13th
  6:30 pm
• Thursday, October 15th
  6:30 pm
• Friday, October 16th
  6:15 pm
• Saturday, October 17th
  3:30 pm, 8:45 pm
• Sunday, October 18th
  3:30 pm
• Monday, October 19th
  6:15 pm
• Tuesday, October 20th
  6:15 pm
• Wednesday, October 21st
  8:45 pm
• Thursday, October 22nd
  6:15 pm
• Friday, October 23rd
  6:00 pm
• Saturday, October 24th
  3:30 pm
• Sunday, October 25th
  2:00 pm
• Monday, October 26th
  6:00 pm
• Tuesday, October 27th
  8:45 pm
• Wednesday, October 28th
  8:45 pm
• Thursday, October 29th
  6:00 pm
• Friday, October 30th
  6:15 pm
• Saturday, October 31st
  1:45 pm
• Sunday, November 1st
  4:15 pm
• Monday, November 2nd
  6:15 pm
• Tuesday, November 3rd
  8:30 pm
• Wednesday, November 4th
  8:30 pm
• Thursday, November 5th
  6:15 pm