Reframed through a feminist lens, Ophelia retells the famous Shakespeare play from the perspective of a woman, at long last. I remember reading Hamlet in my first year of college and really connecting with the character of Ophelia, feeling disheartened at the lack of attention and context her relationship with Hamlet and personal life was granted. So when I found out about this film, it's fair to say the literature student in me cried. Everything I'd wanted from the play was handed to me with this film. In the play we know little more than that she is the daughter of Polonius, the King's advisor, and she, to some degree, engages in a relationship with Hamlet, beginning before the play's start. All details we are given are relatively vague and up to audience interpretation. However in this version, we gain much more insight into her relationship with Queen Gertrude, the beginnings of her relationship with Hamlet, her role in the stories ending, as well as presenting a number of different plot twists and new additions, all whilst still managing to remain faithful to the overarching narrative of the original story. Interestingly, it was enjoyable to see other elements of Shakespeare's work finding themselves interwoven, with the addition of Gertrude's witch sister, a nod to Macbeth, who brews a potion that can temporarily mimic death, as in Romeo and Juliet.
In terms of the cast, having read a few reviews beforehand, I can't lie I went into this viewing fully expecting to hate Daisy Ridley in the role. Being someone who didn't jump on the Star Wars hype, she had never really been an actress who's work appealed to me, initially I was hoping someone like Olivia Cooke would fill the role. Let me tell you, my mind has been changed. If you don't know the character before going into this film, you'd be forgiven for thinking she's initially somewhat bland so the benefit of previous knowledge definitely helped, but for me she manages to bring an essential vulnerability to Ophelia, alongside a new independent, strong spirit that was lacking in the original. I love, love, loved George MacKay as Hamlet, up until this point, having watched production upon production in college, Kenneth Branagh was the only actor I personally felt did the role justice. Losing a lot of the dawdling and stalling, dropping the iconic 'to be or not to be' debacle we see in previous versions, Hamlet is portrayed as a lot more playful and affectionate towards Ophelia, adding substance to their narrative, leaving their romance feeling fresh and engaging for audiences. Not sure if I'm being biased in saying that I enjoyed the shared chemistry between the couple due to the fact I already felt somewhat emotionally engaged with the characters before viewing, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Naomi Watt's Gertrude and Clive Owen's Claudius however lacked in that area for me, I just really didn't feel the build up of tension and desire that the play intended.
It has to be mentioned that the overall aesthetic of the film is incredible, from costuming and props to cinematography and score, the creative team did a beautiful job in emulating the time period. Personally, I wasn't keen on the decision to have Hamlet's under eyeliner become increasingly darker to represent his madness but I saw the intention, so I'll try to forget it. Also took a while for me to take Clive Owen seriously with his wig, honestly watch and you'll see, he drew the short straw in costume with this one.
The final scene deserves a round of applause. Even though I was fully aware of the fate of the characters, there was something really emotional about the cinematography and the track playing alongside it that took me by surprise. Despite the major plot points remaining the same, striking alterations are made in this scene regarding Gertrude, who after realising both her son and husband are dead at the hands of Claudius, stabs him with his own sword before drinking a vial of poison, resulting in her death panning out the same as it does in the play, but as a decision she makes herself this time. Whilst the ending is still incredibly tragic, with Ophelia the sole survivor to live and tell the tale, the changes to the narrative feel bold yet empowering with a satisfying pay off.
All in all, it was always going to be a difficult adaptation to make, in transferring the sole perspective over to one of the least empowered characters in the narrative, but on the whole I feel it was a job well done and although I'm not usually a big fan of period dramas, this is one I can see myself revisiting.
Elle Lucas
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