As anyone I’ve ever spoken to for more than twenty minutes knows, I’m a huge fan of Daisy Ridley. I, like most of the world, saw her for the first time in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. After the most recent movie, I turned into a full-fledged Daisy Ridley stan. Whoops. I don’t regret a second of that. So, when I found out she was going to star in Claire McCarthy’s Ophelia, which reimagines Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the perspective of its tragic heroine, I immediately decided I had to watch it. Unfortunately, I managed to miss the release date despite the fact I had been waiting for it to come out since 2017. Still, recently, I begged my mother to order it for me, which she did, and we watched it on February 7th, 2020.
And may I just say...holy cow. I literally only watched this movie because of Daisy Ridley, but I found a new favorite movie. I didn’t expect it to be this good. I would rate it five out of five stars on any reviewing platform placed in front of me, and I could talk for hours about how incredible this movie is, from the acting to the screenplay to the costumes.
“You may think you know my story.” These opening lines as the camera zooms in on Ophelia, appearing to be dead, floats in a lake. “I have seen more of heaven and hell than most people dream of, but I was always a willful girl and followed my heart and spoke my mind. And it’s high time that I tell you my story myself.” From here, we get a glimpse into Ophelia’s life as a child, where she, after proving her wit to Queen Gertrude, becomes her handmaiden. Despite the other ladies’ best attempts, they never quite groom Ophelia into a proper lady, and it’s this that gives her charm and draws the queen even closer to her. We first encounter Hamlet, played by George MacKay (whose performance here overshadows the one he gave in 1917, in my not-so-educated opinion, though his haircut and guyliner do not), when Ophelia is swimming. This can only be described as the ultimate meet-cute scene. They’re adorable, and the tie that runs throughout of Ophelia being a “little fish” really just hits me for some reason. That’s all I have to say. Well, there’s more, but it’s very spoilery, and since many people haven’t seen it, I’ll refrain from ruining one of the movie’s greatest reveals.
Everything about the original Shakespeare is flipped on its head, and it’s this aspect that makes the film so polarizing. Ophelia is given more agency, yes, that’s to be expected, but other characters also receive a twenty-first century update. Gertrude (Naomi Watts) is portrayed as lonely and self-absorbed, willing to do anything to preserve her youth, whether through dark “magic” in the form of a potion from the local witch Mechtild (also played by Naomi Watts) or through the doting attention of Claudius. We all remember Claudius. I don’t have to explain that. Hamlet is less indecisive, which is good, given that I’m only an act into the original play and I’m already frustrated with his flakiness, and Claudius (Clive Owen) is a villain that sends shivers down my spine.
Many lines in the original text are reimagined here, something that people either love or hate. I spent the entire movie waiting for the famed “Get thee to a nunnery!” line and wondering how it was going to be handled. Instead of the heartache I feared I would feel as Ophelia watched the man she loved essentially assure that she was worthless and evil in his eyes, I was full of hope as he fought to save her from the dangers that awaited her if she remained in Elsinore. Not only this, but the bits of the screenplay less lifted from Shakespeare’s play shine like diamonds. One that stuck out to me is Ophelia’s biting, “Stay away from my grave when I am dead,” said to Horatio when it’s mentioned that he digs up dead bodies to study in order to further his aspirations of becoming a doctor. This is later contrasted with Ophelia’s beg for Horatio to visit her before she is cold and use her as an anatomy lesson, which shows how shrewd and calculating she really is.
It’s impossible for me to discuss this movie without talking about its star. Daisy Ridley is radiant and fiery as the titular heroine, bringing a new dimension to the girl who was sidelined even by her creator. She becomes the master of her own fate rather than an accessory to someone else’s. Ridley grabs our hands and pulls us along on a familiar journey through a different lens, and it’s incredible. I literally cannot praise her enough. The scene where she is portraying a mad Ophelia and she spins around in the palace and offers flowers to all the courtiers? Beautiful. Pure talent. Eventually, I swear I’m just gonna write about how much I love her acting choices. And I’m not going to regret a second of it. I’m gonna stop myself right here so I don’t give too much away, but if you want to see good acting, watch this movie. If anyone still thinks Ridley can’t act after that...I’ll have to have a chat with them.
Anyway, if you’re a fan of revisionist Shakespeare, I 100% recommend Ophelia. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Thank you to the entire cast.
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