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Separating from the better-known collaborator in a performance partnership is a risky affair. Larry David went through it. The same for Andrew Ridgeley. Currently, this clever and deeply sorrowful small-scale drama from scriptwriter Robert Kaplow and helmer the director Richard Linklater tells the almost agonizing account of musical theater lyricist Lorenz Hart right after his separation from Richard Rodgers. The character is acted with theatrical excellence, an unspeakable combover and fake smallness by Ethan Hawke, who is regularly digitally reduced in stature – but is also occasionally shot placed in an off-camera hole to look up poignantly at more statuesque figures, addressing the lyricist's stature problem as actor José Ferrer once played the diminutive artist Toulouse-Lautrec.

Multifaceted Role and Themes

Hawke achieves large, cynical chuckles with Hart’s riffs on the hidden gayness of the film Casablanca and the cheesily upbeat musical he’s just been to see, with all the rope-spinning ranch hands; he sarcastically dubs it Okla-gay. The sexual identity of Hart is complex: this film effectively triangulates his queer identity with the heterosexual image created for him in the 1948 musical the production Words and Music (with actor Mickey Rooney portraying Lorenz Hart); it shrewdly deduces a kind of bisexuality from the lyricist's writings to his protege: college student at Yale and budding theater artist Weiland, portrayed in this film with carefree youthful femininity by Margaret Qualley.

As a component of the famous Broadway songwriting team with composer Rodgers, Lorenz Hart was responsible for unparalleled tunes like the song The Lady Is a Tramp, the tune Manhattan, the beloved My Funny Valentine and of course Blue Moon. But exasperated with Hart's drinking problem, inconsistency and depressive outbursts, Rodgers severed ties with him and joined forces with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II to compose the musical Oklahoma! and then a series of live and cinematic successes.

Sentimental Layers

The film conceives the profoundly saddened Hart in the musical Oklahoma!'s opening night NYC crowd in the year 1943, gazing with covetous misery as the show proceeds, loathing its insipid emotionality, detesting the exclamation mark at the end of the title, but heartsinkingly aware of how extremely potent it is. He understands a smash when he sees one – and feels himself descending into unsuccessfulness.

Before the intermission, Hart miserably ducks out and heads to the tavern at the establishment Sardi's where the remainder of the movie occurs, and anticipates the (unavoidably) successful Oklahoma! company to show up for their following-event gathering. He knows it is his performance responsibility to compliment Richard Rodgers, to feign all is well. With smooth moderation, actor Andrew Scott acts as Richard Rodgers, clearly embarrassed at what both are aware is the lyricist's shame; he provides a consolation to his pride in the guise of a short-term gig composing fresh songs for their existing show the show A Connecticut Yankee, which just exacerbates the situation.

• Actor Bobby Cannavale plays the barkeeper who in conventional manner hears compassionately to the character's soliloquies of acerbic misery
• Actor Patrick Kennedy plays writer EB White, to whom Hart unintentionally offers the concept for his children’s book the book Stuart Little
• The actress Qualley portrays Elizabeth Weiland, the inaccessibly lovely Yale student with whom the picture conceives Hart to be intricately and masochistically in affection

Hart has previously been abandoned by Rodgers. Surely the universe can’t be so cruel as to have him dumped by Weiland as well? But Qualley mercilessly depicts a girl who wishes Lorenz Hart to be the laughing, platonic friend to whom she can disclose her adventures with guys – as well of course the showbiz connection who can promote her occupation.

Acting Excellence

Hawke shows that Hart partly takes observational satisfaction in listening to these guys but he is also authentically, mournfully enamored with Weiland and the picture reveals to us something rarely touched on in films about the domain of theater music or the films: the dreadful intersection between career and love defeat. Yet at a certain point, Lorenz Hart is rebelliously conscious that what he has attained will persist. It's a magnificent acting job from Ethan Hawke. This might become a stage musical – but who shall compose the numbers?

The film Blue Moon was shown at the London cinema festival; it is available on the 17th of October in the US, the 14th of November in the UK and on January 29 in the land down under.