Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool ****

Fantastic Anette Benning and Jamie Bell hand in powerhouse performances in this emotional packed true life Drama.

 

Jamie Bell plays the struggling actor who becomes romantically involved with Annette Benning’s former Hollywood star twice his age.

The film adapted from a book based on the real event captivates in it’s bitter originality of such a unlikely romance occurring in such unlikely of circumstances and directed with elegance.

The unlikely romance begins and true story of love unfolds in the rarest of kinds from Hollywood bold, sad, honest and with sterling performances from all involved.

That cast by the way happens to include Stephen Graham, Julie Waters and Vanessa Redgrave who all hit their parts hard adding to the nice ensemble.

Benning really does give it her all in career best that unfortunately has occurred the same year as 3 Billboards otherwise an Oscar for Benning’s work could well have been guaranteed. Meeting her every step of the way is Bell who not since Billy Elliot has worn his heart on his sleeve with his every emotion captivated across his face we feel every aspect of character’s emotion just looking at him.  

Whilst Graham and Redgrave are some what underused they still make the most of their scenes but it’s Waters who has the most lines from the supporting cast and hits them all. 

Kenneth Granham plays the quiet spoken Father, who hands in a underrated performance with sadness, humor and ultimately a moral compass for the film. This is summarized in touching little scene in the pub with his son where the full complexity of the situation is captivated through a full array of emotions and thought process. Certainly the casting director can raise a class of champagne as the right actors were assembled for the right tasks here.      

The story unfolds at a nice pace and utilized a change of perspective in the third act effectively to pull on the heartstrings and add to the tragedy of circumstance.

In many viewers the dark subject matter at times will become a little too heavy for some to enjoy with a depressing tone as romantic comedy this is not.

This is not easy watching or for the casual viewer but if you do invest you will come away with a story that captivates the emotions from such unlikely of origins of human attraction and love from a multitude of angles and emotions.