We all know the story: Something is rotten in Denmark. A prince wants to avenge his father’s murder, but can’t quite seem to summon the gumption. A widow marries her late husband’s brother. A young woman is humiliated, loses her grip on reality, and drowns herself.
Claire McCarthy’s new film reclaims “Hamlet” and presents its events through the eyes of Ophelia. In Shakespeare’s classic, Ophelia flirts with Hamlet and is manipulated — and eventually driven insane — by the men in her life. And that’s the sum of her story. But in “Ophelia” Daisy Ridley adds depth, agency, and strength to a character who was shortchanged in her original source material. A trailer for the film just dropped.
“Ophelia” takes place in the aftermath of King Hamlet’s death, and the court is in chaos. “These are strange times in this castle,” Ophelia’s brother (Tom Felton) tells her. “Be afraid. You will only be safe if you are afraid.”
They are strange times, indeed. Her lover, Prince Hamlet (George MacKay), is running hot and cold on her; Queen Gertrude (Naomi Watts) and her new husband, Claudius (Clive Owen), are trying to marry her off; and Gertrude accuses Ophelia of intentionally driving a wedge between her and her son. The young woman wants to run away with Hamlet, but can’t convince him to give up his throne. “Vengeance, madness, a kingdom lost,” Ophelia muses in the spot. “Nothing as it seems.”
“Ophelia” made its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Semi Chellas (“Mad Men”) wrote the script from Lisa Klein’s YA novel of the same name.
McCarthy previously helmed “Cross Life” and “The Waiting City.” She’ll reunite with Watts on her next feature, mother-daughter drama “The Burning Season.” McCarthy also directed the upcoming TV adaptation of Eleanor Catton’s “The Luminaries.”
You can catch Ridley next in the conclusion of the latest “Star Wars” trilogy, “The Rise of Skywalker,” in theaters December 20. She’ll also co-star in next year’s sci-fi adventure “Chaos Walking.”
“Ophelia” hits theaters June 28 and will be available on demand and digital July 3.
