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Separating from the more prominent collaborator in a showbiz double act is a hazardous endeavor. Larry David did it. Likewise Andrew Ridgeley. Presently, this humorous and profoundly melancholic chamber piece from writer Robert Kaplow and helmer Richard Linklater narrates the all but unbearable story of musical theater lyricist the lyricist Lorenz Hart just after his split from composer Richard Rodgers. He is played with theatrical excellence, an dreadful hairpiece and artificial shortness by actor Ethan Hawke, who is frequently technologically minimized in stature – but is also at times recorded placed in an unseen pit to look up poignantly at heightened personas, confronting the lyricist's stature problem as José Ferrer previously portrayed the diminutive Toulouse-Lautrec.

Multifaceted Role and Elements

Hawke earns big, world-weary laughs with the character's witty comments on the concealed homosexuality of the film Casablanca and the overly optimistic musical he’s just been to see, with all the rope-spinning ranch hands; he bitingly labels it Okla-homo. The sexuality of Hart is complex: this picture effectively triangulates his gayness with the non-queer character fabricated for him in the 1948 stage show the production Words and Music (with actor Mickey Rooney playing Hart); it cleverly extrapolates a kind of dual attraction from Hart's correspondence to his young apprentice: college student at Yale and aspiring set designer the character Elizabeth Weiland, played here with heedless girlishness by actress Margaret Qualley.

As part of the renowned New York theater lyricist-composer pair with the composer Rodgers, Lorenz Hart was responsible for unparalleled tunes like The Lady Is a Tramp, Manhattan, the standard My Funny Valentine and of course the titular Blue Moon. But exasperated with the lyricist's addiction, unreliability and melancholic episodes, Rodgers ended their partnership and teamed up with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II to create Oklahoma! and then a series of stage and screen smashes.

Psychological Complexity

The picture imagines the profoundly saddened Lorenz Hart in the show Oklahoma!'s first-night New York audience in the year 1943, observing with jealous anguish as the production unfolds, despising its insipid emotionality, detesting the exclamation mark at the conclusion of the name, but heartsinkingly aware of how extremely potent it is. He knows a hit when he sees one – and perceives himself sinking into failure.

Prior to the intermission, Lorenz Hart sadly slips away and heads to the tavern at the venue Sardi's where the rest of the film occurs, and anticipates the (inevitably) triumphant Oklahoma! cast to arrive for their after-party. He is aware it is his performance responsibility to compliment Rodgers, to feign things are fine. With suave restraint, the performer Andrew Scott acts as Rodgers, clearly embarrassed at what they both know is the lyricist's shame; he gives a pacifier to his pride in the appearance of a temporary job writing new numbers for their existing show the show A Connecticut Yankee, which just exacerbates the situation.

• Bobby Cannavale acts as the barkeeper who in standard fashion hears compassionately to Hart’s arias of bitter despondency
• Actor Patrick Kennedy portrays writer EB White, to whom Lorenz Hart accidentally gives the idea for his kids' story the book Stuart Little
• The actress Qualley portrays Elizabeth Weiland, the impossibly gorgeous Ivy League pupil with whom the picture envisions Hart to be complexly and self-destructively in affection

Hart has already been jilted by Richard Rodgers. Undoubtedly the universe couldn't be that harsh as to have him dumped by Weiland as well? But Qualley pitilessly acts a girl who desires Lorenz Hart to be the laughing, platonic friend to whom she can confide her adventures with guys – as well of course the theater industry influencer who can advance her profession.

Acting Excellence

Hawke demonstrates that Lorenz Hart somewhat derives observational satisfaction in learning of these boys but he is also genuinely, tragically besotted with Weiland and the film informs us of an aspect infrequently explored in films about the world of musical theatre or the films: the terrible overlap between career and love defeat. Nevertheless at one stage, Lorenz Hart is defiantly aware that what he has attained will survive. It's an outstanding portrayal from Hawke. This could be a theater production – but who will write the numbers?

The movie Blue Moon was shown at the London film festival; it is available on October 17 in the US, the 14th of November in the United Kingdom and on 29 January in the Australian continent.