Written and Directed by Jane Campion, Bright Star is an exquisite feast for the eyes, as poetic in visual detail as the words of its subject, the much-loved poet John Keats, all set to a stunning score composed by Mark Bradshaw. The film follows the poet (Ben Whishaw) and his love affair with his muse, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish).

Campion’s film celebrates the work of Keats, bringing his poetry to life. Whilst he only published 54 poems in his lifetime, they vary wildly in their style, taking inspiration from Milton, Wordsworth and Coleridge, creating a lasting impact on the poetical form. 

Bright Star cleverly weaves lines of verse into the film’s soundtrack, accompanying some of the film’s most visually potent moments, and transforming Keat’s work into a celebration of cinema’s potential to capture the beauty of the written word.

“Bright Star deals with the sonnets and the bonnets with wit and restraint, and proves that a chaste romance needn’t lack for passion, or poetry” Anthony Quinn, The Independent

“Campion has created another resonant paean to love’s pain and joy, and gives new life to John Keats, too often now associated with dusty school books” Liz Moody, Empire

“A deeply felt and intelligent film, one of those that has grown in my mind on a second viewing; it is almost certainly the best of Campion’s career” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian