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Andrew Scott has struck a scintillating form recently, from the BAFTA nominated All of Us Strangers (2023), the Academy Award nominated Blue Moon (2025), and to 2026’s tense historical drama Pressure, the Irish actor’s rampage of success through Hollywood continues. Now, he approaches the biographical drama of Elsinore. The true story of closeted homosexual actor Ian Charleson’s odds-defying battle against AIDS whilst in preparation for his dream role of Hamlet at London’s renowned National Theatre.
The message Elsinore delivers is that Charleson’s struggle, kept secret from the public until his passing, was a devastating tale of determination and desire. Where other biographical endeavours may traverse somber themes of isolation and loneliness, having traded romance and friendships in an obsessive hunt for success, Elsinore embraces these elements to infuse a heartwarming sincerity both inspiring and utterly gut-wrenching once the credits roll. Capturing the medical limitations of the early AIDS epidemic with deliberate uneasiness, this 1989-set drama is Andrew Scott’s most complete performance yet.
Elsinore opens with a depiction of Daniel Day-Lewis’ (There Will be Blood) infamous storming off stage during a live performance of Hamlet, where the actor exited the production entirely due to stress leading to an alleged apparation of his deceased father. Naturally, this left the Hamlet’s crew clamouring for solutions. But how do you fill a lead role requiring intense rehearsals, memorization of approximately 1,480 lines of dialogue, and nearly 4 hour long performances night after night at such short notice? The answer lies within Ian Charleson.
Struggling with achieving consistent, purposeful work, the Shakespeare-loving actor is introduced traversing the frustrating rigmarole of auditions. When his friend, Georgie, played by Luke Thompson (Bridgerton), receives an AIDS diagnosis, Ian is then catapulted into health-concerned paranoia fuelled by his own concerns. His anxiety latches onto his growing sense of inadequacy, and on the verge of a mental breakdown he is given a glimpse of hope: the chance to replace Daniel Day-Lewis in Hamlet – Charleson’s dream role.
But by this point Ian has received confirmation of his own terminal AIDS diagnosis. Faced with two options, accept illness to prolong life expectancy or devote everything to a legendary performance in his dream role, a familiar question transpires; ‘to be, or not to be’?
Scott beautifully embodies Ian Charleson with a sincere earnestness, honouring the late actor’s final performance with captivating bravado. His unwavering determination delicately juggles illness and aspiration, where cinematographer Mike Eley (Touching the Void) utilises different focal lenses in the midst of physical turmoil. Here, Ian is intriguingly made small in spacious rooms, capturing the vastness his mental and physical torment through masterful cinematography. Thanks to further camera trickery spawning claustrophobia and uneasiness, Elsinore is gripping. Unravelling with emotional explorations of Charleson’s recurring daily challenge of treatment and exhausting rehearsals, even if it appears slightly afraid of insulting the true human story at the centre.
Administering his treatment is Olivia Colman’s (Wicker) Dr Margaret Johnson, the first dedicated HIV consultant in the UK, who pioneered HIV treatment at the Royal Free Hospital’s first open-access clinic. Her steely demeanour and professional responsibilities clash with Ian’s feverish addiction to performing. Emphasizing his values of quality of life over quantity of life, he relentlessly challenges Dr Johnson to accept his creative passion and ensure he can perform, no matter the cost. Together, Scott and Colman are a stratospheric force that sets Elsinore alight and avoids the common failures of formulaic biopics. Their careers ascend new heights, carrying a magnetic chemistry that proves the core of Simon Stone’s (The Dig) enthralling ode to theatre. And as grief and illness begin to consume Ian, Scott pulls an unimaginable performance from the ether, convincingly selling real tragedy.
Elsinore’s masterstroke lies within successfully making Ian Charleson’s race against time and reget so agonizingly human. Sentimental notes from Billie Piper (Doctor Who), Johnny Flynn (Harry Potter), David Dawson (My Policeman), and promises not to damage beloved Le Creuset cookware, break the pattern of Ian’s monotonous routine and infuse heart. Momentary stagnation, derived from a slightly tunnel-visioned approach towards Elsinore’s conclusion, is denounced by Piper’s fierce vibrancy in best friend Patsy Pollock. Breathing sprightly life into scenes that verge on drowning in Scott’s magnificent sorrow during Ian’s decline of health. On the opposite axis, David Dawson’s Derek Jarmon fuels understandable conflict through incessantly arguing Ian should publicly announce his illness in an attempt to defeat shame around HIV.
Detailing any criticisms in Elsinore’s narrative feels unjust to an innate spectacularity, but despite consistent excellence, there are periods of brief weakness. Stone’s approach to directing stigma around AIDS being the most pronounced. Whilst not untouched, with subtle acknowledgements through unnecessary extra hand-washing or burning deceased patient’s bedsheets, a richer political commentary feels underutilised. Just as Ian’s relationship to his parents, portrayed by Peter Mullan (I Swear) and Georgie Glen (Call the Midwife), and his admirable coming out, feels slightly inconsequential after Scott’s powerhouse build up. Neither distract from Elsinore’s quality, but limit poignancy that would otherwise warrant its classification as a modern masterpiece.
Rest assured, these minor shortcomings don’t define Elsinore. Instead, its Scott and Colman’s transcendental career-best performances that visualize the destructive wake of the AIDS crisis. Simon Stone’s latest directorial feat concludes with a mesmerizing montage of Ian fulfilling his impossible dream, where cuts between his rapidly deteriorating condition and his final stage performance, are executed by Andrew Scott who expels an extraordinary catharsis demanding unstoppable tears. A given crowd pleaser, and certainly a tear-jerker, Elsinore is unmissable.
Elsinore Releases November 20th in the US and January 29th in the UK
