All Is True

Kenneth Branagh has played so many of Shakespeare’s protagonists, so it makes sense that All Is True gives him the opportunity to play the Bard himself.

The filmmaker’s fascination with the legendary playwright, however, doesn’t lend the necessary urgency to this melodrama about the final act of his life. It turns out that Shakespeare’s midlife crisis is not nearly as compelling as his prolific storytelling prowess.

The film begins in 1613, shortly after the Globe Theater burned down during a performance of Henry VIII under its original title, All Is True. The incident prompts Shakespeare to retire and leave London for his home in Stratford.

Having spent two decades working consistently, Shakespeare retreats to his garden and attempts to reconcile with his illiterate wife, Anne (Judi Dench), and his younger daughter, Judith (Kathryn Wilder). “I’ve lived so long in imaginary worlds, I think I’ve lost sight of what is real,” he observes.

Specifically, Judith resents the fact that Shakespeare never properly mourned the death of her twin brother, Hamnet, several years earlier. She even claims that her father wished it was her, rather than her brother, who had perished under such mysterious circumstances.

Amid its revisionist tendencies, the film provides a rare peek into Shakespeare’s personal life and creative inspiration, especially as it relates to his ability to manipulate fact into fiction.

Give Branagh credit for exploring the vulnerable side of his literary hero, whose personal tale is more tragedy than comedy. Dench, who coincidentally won her Oscar 20 years ago for Shakespeare in Love, brings depth to her sharp-tongued role, even if she’s too old to be completely believable.

The screenplay by British television veteran Ben Elton contains more speculation than genuine biographical insight. Still, it sprinkles some fascinating nuggets into its narrative arc about the redemption of a neglectful husband and absentee father trying to repair old wounds.

His path from grief to catharsis is fraught with structural flaws and rarely achieves the emotional power to which it aspires. At any rate, Shakespeare completists might find value in this project, even if its mediocre quality will relegate it to a footnote on the resumes of both Branagh and the Bard.

Rated PG-13, 101 minutes.