Bright Star is a 2009 biographical romantic drama film, written and directed by Jane Campion. It is based on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats (played by Ben Whishaw) and his romantic relationship with Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Campion’s screenplay was inspired by a 1997 biography of Keats by Andrew Motion, who served as a script consultant.
Bright Star was in the main competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, and was first shown to the public on 15 May 2009. The film’s title is a reference to a sonnet by Keats titled “Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art“, which he wrote while he was with Brawne.