All is True

Christmas is most definitely a time for films, be they new at the cinema or catching up via one streaming service or another. On the caught-up list then is Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespearean tale, All is True.

The story looks at the closing part of Shakespeare’s life, after The Globe has burnt down and the bard has retired from writing. The focus is on his return to Stratford and while he has no doubt been a huge success he returns home with regret, not been home when his son dies, the broken relationships with his daughter and wife, his desire to be accepted as part of a higher society that will not accept him, all weight heavily upon him.

We watch as he struggles with and later comes to terms with the reality of his choices and their impacts on his life. It’s a story that takes its time and it did take a while for it to grab my attention, but thanks to two, if not surprisingly, excellent central performances from Brannagh and the imperious Judi Dench, the story increasingly engages and draws you in to his mental turmoil.

It’s nicely shot, well written and played and although may not be one of Brannagh’s best, it takes an interesting journey into the private life of histories greatest play-write, some of the story will be true, much is dramatic construct but to be fair whether All is True doesn’t really matter, it’s an enjoyable tale nonetheless.