ReelBob: ‘Ophelia’ ★★★
By Bob Bloom
You may believe you know Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” but you’d be surprised at how it looks from the perspective of Ophelia, the prince of Denmark’s erstwhile love and one of the Bard’s most tragic characters.
Basically, you’ll need a new set of Cliff Notes when you watch director Claire McCarthy’s “Ophelia.” Based on the novel by Lisa Klein, and adapted by Semi Chellas, the film turns all that is rotten in Denmark into a tale of female empowerment.
Daisy Ridley portrays Ophelia as a quick-witted young woman rather than as the helpless pawn Shakespeare created.
This Ophelia is no Wonder Woman or Black Widow, but neither is she a fragile creature who seems to fall apart as adversity swells around her and her prince.
Ophelia knows who is doing what to whom and where the bodies are buried.
Chellas’ script hints at “Hamlet,” lifting snippets of dialogue from the play and — in general — being faithful to the original.
But the movie diverges at times, as it shows familiar Shakespearean situations from a different point of view and reinterprets some well-known confrontations.
Because the focus is on Ophelia, one of the movie’s drawbacks in an overdependence on exposition. We eavesdrop, for example, on various characters describing sequences from Hamlet, instead of — as in the play — showing them.
Ridley displays the determination and nerve she brings to her Rey in the latest “Star Wars” trilogy.
Naomi Watts does double duty as the love-starved Queen Gertrude and the witch-like Mechtild.
Clive Owen portrays the usurping, adulterous Claudius — who quickly takes the throne and the king’s widow after the suspicious death of his brother — as a dog-in-heat, ambitious slime ball.
As Hamlet, George MacKay does not show as much of the “antic disposition” as in the play, but keep in mind this is Ophelia’s take on Hamlet.
From the outset of “Ophelia,” you realize you are not going to just see another regurgitation of the Shakespearean tragedy. A voice-over by Ophelia immediately tells you this is her story and how she saw events unfold.
“Ophelia” is an interesting exercise. It is sumptuous and well conceived. The conceit of the film does not work 100 percent of the time, but enough that it holds your interest and keeps you in suspense as to how much alteration there will be.
This “Ophelia” is definitely not a tale told by an idiot. It is a serious endeavor that puts a new — perhaps, contemporary — spin on one of the world’s best-known works.
It’s a thoughtful project that pays homage to its source and breathes refreshing new life into a character who no longer seems so pitiful.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
OPHELIA
3 stars out of 4
(PG-13), bloody violence and images, sensuality, sexual situations, thematic materials