‘Elsinore’ Review – Andrew Scott Towers Above All In Deeply Emotional Ian Charleson Biopic [TIFF 2026]

To endure or to live?

That is the question facing Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott) in Elsinore, which had its Canadian Premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Ian is best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, immortalized in 20th-century pop culture by its iconic score. The years since haven’t been flooded with movie-star offers, but Ian believes he has another transformative performance within him. The opportunity comes when Daniel Day-Lewis drops out of a National Theatre production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. While he is up to the theoretical challenge, the physical and psychological toll is of paramount concern, as Ian is battling the beginning stages of AIDS. With the help of his new physician, Margaret Johnson (Olivia Colman), director Richard Eyre (Johnny Flynn), and close friend Patsy Pollock (Billie Piper), Charleson resolves to spend his remaining time on Earth preparing and performing the most important work of his career. 

During a pre-screening conversation at the festival, Andrew Scott explained that he didn’t want Elsinore (which he also produced) to fetishize Ian’s death or ignore the joys of life that he found in his final months. The effort is evident in the film. One of Elsinore’s most striking elements is its humor. Director Simon Stone and screenwriter Stephen Beresford pepper the film with a broad array of jokes and verbal spars that touch on everything: sex, art, bad career moves, and, naturally, Ian’s advancing illness. You get the sense from the film that, even in this era when HIV and AIDS were ripping gay and creative communities apart, there was a spirit of resistance and survival within them. That spirit allowed humor, even or especially the darker shades, to thrive as a life force for Ian and his friends.

The humor is an important foundation that also helps contextualize the physical and emotional toll that AIDS and Hamlet put on Ian. Director Simon Stone uses montage as a structure to explore the progression of Ian’s illness and work. Stone intercuts scenes of Ian passionately rehearsing lines and stage directions with Ian struggling with the health challenges of AIDS, whether in Dr. Johnson’s clinic or in his flat with Patsy. The mechanism’s best uses blend the two worlds, as when Ian runs lines with his nurse, allowing the absurdity of the sight (and Johnson’s incredulity) to endear him to us. Stone’s montages, both at the beginning and the end of Ian’s journey, succeed not only in demonstrating how the two facets of Ian’s life intersect but also in elucidating how remarkable it was that Ian crafted such an affecting work despite his body’s gradual breakdown.

As one might expect, Ian’s body does have its limits, and the second half of Elsinore is dedicated to the ramifications of his choices. One of the most emotionally harrowing moments is when his parents visit him in the clinic after he contracts pneumonia, which runs rampant through his compromised immune system. The confrontation is twofold for Ian, as he must come out to them and disclose his status. It is the first time in the film that Ian truly lets his guard down, casting aside his irreverence and powerful talent to apologize to his parents. It’s a gutting, brutally honest moment that will certainly break hearts. If it doesn’t, the scene that immediately follows might, where Ian’s father breaks down over the tragedy in the parking lot, synthesizing the overwhelming tragedy into one key point: his son is in pain. 

As powerful as the montage was in the first half of the film, it becomes less so as Elsinore reaches its close, with Ian finally making it on stage at the National Theatre. Ian’s first performance is actually a series of performances, spliced with scenes of Ian in advanced stages of illness. The emotion the montage evokes is genuine, just like the rehearsal montage does. Alongside the illness are retreads of scenes we’ve seen before. They aren’t framed in a new way, nor do they reflect a new understanding of Ian’s challenges in making Hamlet. Instead, it feels as if Stone doesn’t trust the audience to fully comprehend the film. I understand the impulse—after all, we appear to be in a post-literate society—but I do believe that Elsinore didn’t need that crutch to reinforce the emotional narrative. 

It’s especially unnecessary considering Elsinore’s performances. To call Andrew Scott magnificent is an understatement. It is a towering performance, filled with wit, grace, perseverance, and agony as Ian’s illness ravages him. Scott throws himself fully into the physical demands of the role, but never becomes histrionic or flat, reaching a deeply affecting space attuned to his intricacies. When he does go broad, such as when Ian’s parents visit him, Scott’s release of his tight control also breaks you in half, and you cry alongside him. It ranks among the year’s best performances, handily. His supporting cast works very well alongside him. Billie Piper plays Patsy’s flightiness with a bright, delightful touch, which makes her helplessness and then her resolve to support Ian all the more impactful. Olivia Colman and David Dawson are equally powerful as necessary checks against Ian’s steadfastness, grounding the film in the sobering reality.

With respect to the opening question, Ian Charleson ultimately chooses, in Shakespeare’s parlance, to be on stage, no matter the cost. As a monument to that commitment, Elsinore is an astonishing achievement filled with life and love. Andrew Scott gives his all to the film, demonstrating that there is an opportunity to live a fulfilling life, even when that life is limited.

Elsinore held its Canadian Premiere as part of the Special Presentations section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The film will debut in theaters on November 20, 2026, courtesy of Focus Features. 

Director: Simon Stone

Screenwriter: Stephen Beresford

Rated: NR

Runtime: 111m

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