IFC Films has released a trailer forOphelia. Set in the 14th century, this re-imagining of William Shakespeare’sHamletis told from the perspective of Ophelia (Daisy Ridley) as she tries to maneuver through all the intrigue that surrounds her. Re-imagining.
I saw the film at Sundance 2018 (it’s been on the shelf for a while) and didn’t really care for it. Frommy review:
Shakespeare is not holy writ. If people want to set his plays to different time periods or use the plot as the inspiration for another story (likeThrone of Bloodor10 Things I Hate About You), that’s fine. Even something likeRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are DeadusesHamletas a springboard to reach ideas that go beyond Shakespeare’s original play. But it takes some balls to look atHamlet, and I think, “I can fix this.” And yet that’s exactly whatClaire McCarthy’s adaptation ofLisa Klein’s novelOphelia. While followingHamletfrom Ophelia’s perspective is an intriguing prospect, the story doesn’t follow her perspective as much as it just decides to wholesale change the story, introducing new characters, adding prologue, and ultimately making Ophelia into an entirely new character. The result is a movie that comes off like a poor imitation ofRomeo & Juliet, and a lazy reading of one of Shakespeare’s best plays. At least it’s pretty to look at.
I’ll be curious to see if others are intrigued at the prospect of new spin onHamletstarring Ridley, but they should be warned that it plays more like bad fanfiction than an intriguing re-imagining one of the Bard’s best works.
Check out theOpheliatrailer below. The film opens June 28th and also starsNaomi Watts,Clive Owen,George Mackay, andTom Felton.
Here’s the official synopsis forOphelia:
Set in the 14th Century but spoken in a contemporary voice, OPHELIA is a dynamic re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Ophelia (Daisy Ridley) takes center stage as Queen Gertrude’s (Naomi Watts) most trusted lady-in-waiting. Beautiful and intelligent, she soon captures the attention of the handsome Prince Hamlet (George MacKay) and a forbidden love blossoms. As war brews, lust and betrayal are tearing Elsinore Castle apart from within and Ophelia must decide between her true love or her own life in order to protect a very dangerous secret.
