By Joel Williams 17/10/25 at London Film Festival
Your work is brilliant. That isn’t the problem. A key descriptor of what you are in for with this film and a realisation for our main character that they can’t quite take. Show business isn’t forever for some people but that may times is their own doing. You may have been extraordinary but actions you take can see the script being flipped on you very quickly.
Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley in “Blue Moon” Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
“Blue Moon” is a dramatised story of the real life lyricist Lorenz Hart and his struggles with alcoholism and deteriorating mental state on the opening night of the hit musical Oklahoma!
Directed by Richard Linklater and written by Robert Kaplow based upon real letters between Lorenz Hart played by Ethan Hawke and Elizabeth Weiland played by Margaret Qualley.
A deconstruction of a self-aggrandising lyricist whose downfall from grace began with nothing but himself contrary to his own beliefs. There’s an initial charm even in his slightly vulgar facade of grandeur that captivates you to the stories Lorenz tells in a first 20 minutes that proves why Ethan Hawke is one of the greatest of all time. Dialogue heavy, in fact it is the bulk of the film and it’s so smartly written with anecdotes that flesh out the past lives of characters you’ll never once feel tired, all you will want is more. Reminiscence of the past from Hawke as he endeavours to establish a relevancy that has clearly faded away but is given what seems like a kind ear by our surrounding cast in the bar, and yet is too blind in his own arrogance to see the true motivations of others. Linklater seems to have this latent ability to make conversations his characters on screen are having feel tangible and so real that it’s like looking through glass at life. Even with the 40’s setting there’s and understanding you get, the feelings and emotions are the same to us just presented in a historical context.
Andrew Scott and Ethan Hawke in “Blue Moon” Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Ethan Hawke, let’s talk about him. It’s a tour de force of a performance, immaculate from the outset, the first 15 minutes could have been it and I’d still be sat here saying this is Hawke’s best work I’ve seen him do and is one of the best performances of this year. Arrogance masking a life falling into submission, he nails every mark, slips into character with such ease. It’s so natural it makes you question, am I watching historical footage since it just doesn’t feel like acting. Linklater waiting 12 years for the right time to make this film is a reason to respect him so highly, he feels Hawke is so right for this role but at a specific time in his life. There’s no rushing into anything, which is why this is so complete and the details are so well crafted, the love for film is so striking here as well as the story laid out in front of us. The rest of the cast do great work, and yet they feel secondary only because of the level Hawke is at. Bobby Canavale adds to the already top notch comedic aspect of this film, Andrew Scott comes in for his short but meaningful time on screen being the person to give Lorenz enough sentience that his life is not what it was in general and in their own personal relationship. Qualley as Lorenz’s ‘dear Elizabeth’ plays her role well. A character that has admiration for Lorenz and will always be grateful for his companionship but is the blind spot to Lorenz who sees it as a love story yet she has another motive.
Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classics
The subtle genius here is setting it in one location in one night. Dare I say this is one of the greatest pieces of art set in one location. Old school aesthetic that bleeds off the screen, one bar in 1940’s New York that is old and yet looks like bar you have been and had experiences in your lifetime. Technically very little needed for a story like this yet it still has style and substance to the images, capturing the performances in widescreen to immerse us in the location and the subjects in it without losing anything from the actors when we get to the more intimate close ups, a smart choice.
Nostalgic, whip-smart and funny, you’ll feel an immersion you rarely get these days and getting that kind of experience from a dialogue heavy period comedy/drama is a testament to the level of filmmaking on display here. Led by Hawke giving a performance of a lifetime that can overshadow the supporting cast who still help bring to life this tale of self-destruction and the turns life can take through your own actions.
Blue Moon releases in UK cinemas November 14th
