Set Fire to the Stars

Film Review by Chris Buckle | 03 Nov 2014
Film title: Set Fire to the Stars
Director: Andy Goddard
Starring: Elijah Wood, Celyn Jones, Kelly Reilly, Steven Mackintosh
Release date: 7 Nov
Certificate: 15

In the centenary year of his birth, there’ll be no shortage of screen depictions of Dylan Thomas. Already in 2014, he’s been surveyed by BBC drama A Poet in New York, while Rhys Ifans will soon play the part in Dominion – which places Set Fire to the Stars in a crowded field. Nonetheless, with strong lead performances and resourceful direction from TV veteran Andy Goddard, distinction seems within its grasp. Unfortunately, despite valiant efforts from all involved, the results struggle to convey the brilliance or tragedy of the life at hand.

Set in 1950, during Thomas’ first tour of the United States, the drama is premised on his volatile relationship with John Malcolm Brinnin (played by Elijah Wood) – the admiring academic tasked with keeping the hard-drinking bard on course. As Thomas, Celyn Jones is suitably rambunctious and oratorical, while Wood impresses as his buttoned-up guardian, swallowing betrayals with mounting desperation. But the tone is curiously flat and the script light on genuine insight: we see the torment fuelling Thomas, but too rarely share or understand it. [Chris Buckle]