A terminal diagnosis is typically met with dismay since it means a person’s life is coming to an end. The natural inclination is to do everything possible to prolong life and ensure that someone has as much time with the people they love as they can get. But there are those for whom living longer isn’t nearly as important as something they’d like to accomplish before they die, even if doing so means they’ll exert too much stress and resultingly have less time left to live. Elsinore tells the poignant story of an actor who got the opportunity of a lifetime and was determined to fulfill it, no matter the cost.
Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott) is best known both to those within the film industry and the general public as the star of Chariots of Fire, which in turn seems better remembered for its signature music than his performance. When Daniel Day-Lewis walks off a production of Hamlet at the National Theatre, director Richard Eyre (Johnny Flynn) asks him to take on the lead role. Charleson confides in Eyre that he has AIDS, the symptoms of which at first appear manageable and hidden by a cover story that he has a sinus infection. Despite the strong objections of his doctor, Margaret Johnson (Olivia Colman), Charleson invests all his energy into making this dream a reality.
Even those who have no interest whatsoever in Shakespeare can comprehend that the chance to appear in any production of one of his plays is a boon for an actor, and to do on one of the most respectable stages in the whole of the United Kingdom is even more of an appeal. It’s hard to imagine how Charleson pushed himself to do so while suffering from a disease that took a real toll on his functionality and energy level, but what drove him to need to do it is properly conveyed by the awe he exudes when he’s given this opportunity and prepares to step into this part.
Since his breakthrough TV performances in Sherlock and Fleabag, Scott has been on the rise. The best role to recommend him for this one is his vulnerable, heartbreaking turn in All of Us Strangers. While Elsinore is absolutely a tearjerker, there’s a surprising degree of levity to be found in his portrayal of Charleson. The humor he infuses into his approach to everyday life and particularly to his cancer treatment is wonderfully endearing, but Scott truly impresses in the rare moments where Charleson lets go and briefly accepts the reality of his situation rather than trying to distract himself with an extremely ambitious project that he hopes will leave an impact.
This is all but guaranteed to result in an Oscar nomination – and likely a win too – for Scott, and it would be well-deserved for his commitment and craft in making Charleson feel so vivid and real, human and fallible but marvelously charming as he insists on doing what matters most to him. Scott is surrounded by a superb cast, including a perfectly-cast Colman. Billie Piper, Matthew Beard, Joe Locke, and Luke Thompson are all memorable and supportive as key members of Charleson’s circle and fellow patients, while Georgia Glen and Peter Mullan excel in an extended scene as Charleson’s parents.
Elsinore is an understandably emotional film, one that takes a sensitive and respectful approach to telling Charleson’s story. It goes to great lengths to humanize each of the people who come under Dr. Johnson’s care and to portray the progression of AIDS in a reserved and appropriate way. The disagreement Charleson has with his friend and past director Derek Jarman (David Dawson) about whether he should go public with his diagnosis to send an important message to the world is loudly echoed by this film and its formidable portrait of a magnificent actor taken way too soon, brought to extraordinary life by an incredible Scott.
Movie Rating: 8/10
Elsinore makes its Canadian premiere in the Special Presentations section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival and will be released theatrically by Focus Features on November 20th.
