An ode to all the drinks left undrunk and all the toasts that were never turned into hits. Lorenz Hart, a grand master of creative epithets and an ever-sparkling companion, nervously awaits news at the bar on the opening night of his long-time creative partner Richard Rodgers’ musical, Oklahoma! “An exclamation point in the title is so trivial,” he scoffs to himself. It is the evening of March 31, 1943. He sits at the bar at Sardi’s Restaurant, licking his wounds, cussing at the war and vowing never to drink again (at least till the next time). There, he meets a constellation of Broadway and Hollywood creative minds who would go on to define post-war American culture. What if time has just passed him by, and he’s simply sat it out at the bar, entertaining the guests?

“They don’t make movies like this anymore,” is what will come to your mind after seeing the American independent cinema master Linklater’s film, which premiered at the Berlinale competition. It vibrates and makes you laugh; every square centimetre of every shot takes your breath away. Ladies and gentlemen, Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott and many others will pull on your heartstrings, as the word is reborn on screen just like in one of those beloved 1930s Hollywood screwball masterpieces! Richard Linklater, a filmmaker whose Before trilogy (1995–2013) and coming-of-age drama Boyhood (2014) have shaped generations, delivers a new intelligent comedy about artists who gather backstage, using the time between acts to try and fix the greatest mistakes of their lives. At the heart of the story is Ethan Hawke’s portrayal of lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943) — a neurotic romantic who serves up witty jabs like canapés. Hart, who passed away during World War II years, left behind a legacy of timeless songs, including the classic Blue Moon.