Dench was cast as the elder version of titular character Joan Elizabeth Stanley in Trevor Nunn's spy drama film "Red Joan" (2018). Based on Jennie Rooney's same-titled novel, it was inspired by the life of KGB intelligence source Melita Norwood. While the film earned generally mixed to negative reviews, Dench was applauded for her performance, with "The Daily Telegraph" agreeing that "Dench is wasted in this absurd portrayal." Her other film of 2018 was "All Is True", a fictional historical film for which she reunited with Kenneth Branagh to portray William Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway. Released to favorable reviews, critics called the film "impressively cast and beautifully filmed. "All Is True" takes an elegiac look at Shakespeare's final days." Also in 2018, Dench appeared alongside Eileen Atkins, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith in Roger Michell's documentary film "Nothing Like a Dame" which documents conversations between the actresses, interspersed with scenes from their career on film and stage. It received rave reviews, with "The Guardian" declaring it an "outrageously funny film".