Andrew Scott is one of my favourite actors working today, so his latest starring role was easily one I was eager to catch at TIFF. Lo and behold, I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to Elsinore, and it may just be the one that scores him an Oscar nomination.
Elsinore follows the true story of Ian Charleson (Scott), a Scottish stage actor best known for his role in the Best Picture winning Chariots of Fire. Charleson is given his dream role of Hamlet at the National after Daniel Day-Lewis suddenly walks offstage in the midst of a performance. Sadly, Charleson's preparation for the role is hindered by his deteriorating health due to an AIDS diagnosis. While his nurse Margaret Johnson (Olivia Colman) urges him to focus on recovery, Charleson chooses to battle through his illness and seize the opportunity no matter the cost.
The film has an interesting take on art and the drive to create something meaningful. It's easy to look at Charleson and become frustrated with the almost lackadaisical way he approaches his health, but it's also hard not to root for him to make this artistic last stand knowing the truth of his mortality. More of a focus on rest and treatment could have prolonged his life, but in his mind it feels as though that life isn't worth living if he isn't doing what he loves. I actually really appreciated the way this story opted not to shy away from Charleson's faults. On top of his choosing to prioritize the theatre over recovery, there are people close to him in the gay community who chastise his decision to stay closeted despite his diagnosis. As he fully comes to terms with his mortality though, we see him take more action to help those also struggling with AIDS, all while pushing through several performances of Hamlet before his passing.
While Charleson's story alone is inspiring, Scott's performance is the core of this film. He gives absolutely everything to this role, delivering one of the most emotionally rich performances I've seen this year. His natural charm allows you to still connect with Charleson even in his greyer moments, and there's almost a physical itch for the stage that you can feel in Scott which makes Charleson's need to perform all the more believable. Despite being a huge fan of Scott's work there were genuine moments where the line between him and Charleson blurred to the point that I only saw Ian. With this being such a showcase for Andrew Scott, there isn't much time to flesh out the ensemble performances. That being said, Olivia Colman is great despite this being one of the smaller roles I've seen her in. Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, and David Dawson also give great performances as some of Charleson's close friends.
Where this one is limited is in the filmmaking itself. Those who care more about craft and style will likely struggle to get much out of this one, as visually the film is frankly quite drab. Part of that may just be the greyness of London, but the cinematography leaves a lot to be desired. Having seen some of Simon Stone's other directorial efforts, it seems as though he's the kind of filmmaker that doesn't have much of his own sense of style. This is a lot better than The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Dig, but it still lacks much of any cinematic identity.
Luckily, the focus here isn't on the man in the director's chair, but rather the story and the brilliant performance anchoring it. Andrew Scott truly wowed me here, delivering a performance that on its own makes this a worthwhile watch, and the story being told elevates it to a film I really loved despite it's stylistic shortcomings. 4/5
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