Andrew Scott delivers a career-defining performance in Elsinore, a film that has been hailed as extraordinary and emotionally devastating. The movie, which premiered at the 70th BFI London Film Festival, received a standing ovation during its gala screening.
The film follows Ian Charleson, a closeted gay actor living with AIDS in 1989, who is asked to rescue a production of Hamlet at the National Theatre after Sir Daniel Day-Lewis abandoned the show. Scott, known for his roles in Sherlock and Fleabag, brings a remarkable balance of pain and heartbreak to the role, alongside the joy of Charleson's spirit and his biting wit.
A love letter to British theatre
Directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford, Elsinore is more than just Scott's performance. It is a heartfelt and gorgeously detailed love letter to the British theatrical establishment, with a script that is both bloody funny and unflinchingly real in its bleak humour.
The film opens with whispers backstage during a 1989 performance of Hamlet at the National Theatre, after Day-Lewis legged it off the stage, abandoning the show after being convinced he had seen his father's ghost. Across town, Charleson is auditioning for a sub-par US project, only to find himself nearly bored to tears hanging around in his trailer waiting to shoot.
Charleson's struggle and legacy
Charleson's breakout success in Chariots of Fire eight years prior follows him around, from the back of a taxi to the doctor's office, where he attends a regular check-up as a man living with AIDS. The stigma attached to his diagnosis is huge, but Charleson finds camaraderie in the thriving gay community of Soho, as well as his fellow thespians and casting director best friend Patsy Pollock, played by Billie Piper.
When acclaimed director Richard Eyre, played by Johnny Flynn, asks him to rescue Hamlet, Charleson squares up to the challenge of a hugely demanding role while his own health is failing. Dr Margaret Johnson, played by Olivia Colman, is a real-life pioneer in the treatment of AIDS, but she and Charleson are at loggerheads over his goal, as she is concerned performing Hamlet could kill him.
Awards season potential
Scott's performance has been tipped for Oscar recognition, with the moment the Academy will play as they read out the best actor nominations already identified. The film also features a celebrated turn from Scott, who has been publicly out since 2013 and played Hamlet on stage in the West End in Robert Icke's 2017 production.
Charleson's silence is challenged by filmmaker Derek Jarman, played by David Dawson, leading to Scott's most vulnerable and touching scenes as he defends himself before confessing his regrets to actor friend Sean Mathias, played by Matthew Beard, and coming out to his parents, played by Peter Mullan and Georgie Glen.
Elsinore is scheduled for UK release on January 29, 2027.
