'Elsinore' Review: Scott Triumphs, AIDS-Bait Film Falls Short — SkimNews
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- Andrew Scott stars as Scottish actor Ian Charleson in director Simon Stone's 'Elsinore,' which premiered at the 2026 Telluride Film Festival and opens via Focus Features on November 20
- Ian Charleson died of HIV/AIDS complications during a 24-performance run of Hamlet at London's National Theatre in 1990, resisting pressure from his inner circle to publicly disclose his diagnosis
- Charleson previously appeared in 'Chariots of Fire' (1981) and 'Gandhi' (1982), and was a former lover of openly gay director Derek Jarman, who died of AIDS in 1994
- Scott's performance is described as 'towering' and 'mesmerizing,' with strong chemistry opposite Olivia Colman as Dr. Margaret Johnson, who treated Charleson and named her HIV clinic after him
- The review criticizes Stone's editing as a 'frenzied montage' and 'feature-length trailer' that rushes Charleson's swan-song Hamlet into a whirlwind sequence, burying what should be the film's emotional peak
- The reviewer places 'Elsinore' alongside 'Philadelphia' and 'Dallas Buyers Club' as an example of AIDS awards-bait that exploits the disease in service of prestige rather than deep feeling
Why it matters: IndieWire's headline frames 'Elsinore' as an Oscar launch vehicle, but this review argues the film fails the prestige it aspires to—reducing Scott's career-defining turn and a real-life story of gay perseverance into montage-driven clichés, leaving the $20M-plus awards campaign a harder sell despite the performance.
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