Cyrano (2022) - Dinklage Shines In Beautifully Produced Love Triangle!

There are films out there that I use to turn my nose up at, and not give a second look. And had this film come out during my formative teenage years, it would've definitely been a victim of that. However, with time I've come to appreciate films focusing on musicals and romantic drama to have much more value than I initially gave them credit. Cyrano is no exception, and it's by far the most beautifully crafted film so far this year.

Considering how stock and clique the idea of a love triangle sounds in these kinds of stories, it's easy to see this story as just so, and to an extent, it is a little clique with it's plot points and eventual narrative beats. However, once the story got going, I really didn't care. I was sold on the romantic drama very early on. And the film succeeded beautifully at getting it's audience to buy into the relationship that is key to this story, that being the one between Dinklage's Cyrano and Haley Bennett's Roxane. These two have incredible chemistry, it really does feel as if they have known one another for years. And while the film wants to sell the prospect of a romantic relationship between these two, it also sells the friendship that Cyrano feels he is restrained to. You can see both sides of the debate here, with the film showing how good friends they are to each other, but also showing their incredible romantic chemistry.

The romantic chemistry between Roxane and Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) felt lacklustre, but it also feels deliberately so. If they sold the relationship between them too well, then you wouldn't be routing for Cyrano to confess his true feelings. Roxane and Christian are the stock standard love at first sight trope, and I am really glad that they showed in a subtle manner how easily mis-leading that trope can be. This is seen throughout the film, by having Cyrano be the man behind the romantic letters Roxane receives, but there is no better moment that conveys this like the balcony sequence, which starts as the film has gone on so far. Cyrano is in the shadows, feeding lines to Christian. And while it always feels like it's Cyrano's thoughts and feelings are being written or said, it's here when Cyrano speaks directly to Roxane from the shadows that the film's beautifully conveyed romantic tension reaches it's peak. It's adorable how much Cyrano has picked up about Roxane over the years, making us love him and their chemistry even more so.

Peter Dinklage is already a powerhouse performer, and it's easy to assume that he was cast just because they needed a recognisable dwarf actor. But it's actually crystal clear why Dinklage was perfect for this job, without falling back on it's physical attributes. Not only has Dinklage given incredible performances in some of film and TV's best loved productions, but also because he has actually conveyed Cyrano before in the stage musical that this film is based upon. Therefore he has the know-how and prior experience with the role to really succeed at conveying such as powerful and emotionally driven character. You don't see a lot of different facial expressions on Dinklage in the film, yet he still conveys such much emotion, inner hurt and upset. And when he does visually display a strong emotion, it's the extra gut punch to really hit home with these emotional beats. I also want to give praise to Haley Bennett, who gave Roxane a wide range of characteristics, going through all the motions, and doing as good a job as Dinklage at selling the romantic tension between Cyrano and Roxane. What surprised me to learn was the fact that she is in a long-term relationship with the film's director, Joe Wright. Some cynical folks might look at that and feel like it was a biased decision on the director's part. But whether that was the case or not, I would still say Bennett was a brilliant choice for Roxane!

I wasn't aware of the musical aspect of this story until I got into the screening, but it was so eloquent in it's use of music and romantic lyricism, that it all felt completely natural. So many of these songs have so much weight, and provoke strong emotional responses from the audience. Some key highlights for me would be Your Name, Overcome and Wherever I Fall. These tracks pack so a lot of emotional punch, and are key areas of not. The backing music is also beautifully produced, blending itself within the songs, whilst also feeling very diegetic within the film's location and time period. I almost forget that this is specially composed music, and not something naturally playing within the scene. Aaron and Bryce Dessner are not names that I was aware of in the world of film composing, but I will be keeping an eye out for more of their work in the future!

Overall, Cyrano is a beautifully produced film, and really pulls at your heartstring with it's beautiful performances, and well crafted chemistry between the leads. Dinklage steals the show with another stellar performance. And while the film has it's small issues, they aren't enough to ruin the experience of watching this film. It's impossible not to love a film of this calibre!

SCORES

Story - 4/5

Characters - 4/5

Production - 5/5

Acting - 4.5/5

Music - 5/5

TOTAL - 9/10