Ophelia
If you have Netflix, chances are you’ve seen Ophelia (2018) floating around recently. It’s one of several new additions to the platform that caught my eye. It is inspired by a Lisa Klein’s novel of the same name, Ophelia, and is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from her perspective. The deviation from the original story creates some interesting detours. For those unfamiliar Hamlet is a tragedy centered on the suspicious death of the King of Denmark (Nathaniel Parker) during a war. The queen (Naomi Watts) quickly remarries Claudius (Clive Owen), the king’s brother, before his grave is even cold, and when young Hamlet (George MacKay) returns to the castle a sinister betrayal is unveiled.
Ophelia (Daisy Ridley) is a child when we are introduced to her in this version. She is a fearless girl, ready to speak her mind freely. When Ophelia interrupts a court jester the queen finds her boldness endearing and assigns her to be a lady in waiting. Fast forward, about ten years and the story begins to intertwine with the original source material. Hamlet returns to the castle from his studies and falls in love with Ophelia. Their love is tumultuous, and we see that he is not sure whether he should pursue her or the throne, since he cannot have both. (Spoilers past this point.)
George MacKay as the tortured Hamlet does a superb job of showing how conflicted and overall consumed Hamlet is with revenge and grief. The chemistry between MacKay and Ridley is also believable, if at times though, a little forced when it comes to pacing. Daisy Ridley is alright in her portrayal of Ophelia. Admittedly, I have only seen her in Star Wars before this. I think perhaps the direction she received on set might have played a part in having Ophelia remain very reserved for a large portion of the film. I thought this was initially an odd choice since she is so bold as a child, but quiet as an adult. The only indication we have that she is still free is that she spends a lot of time in nature. Perhaps castle life has changed her so greatly that she no longer feels like she can be her true self.
One major difference from the original source material that I enjoyed was the decision to have Naomi Watts plays both the witch and the queen. With a nod to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Ophelia receives snake venom that can be used as a sleeping agent, from the witch Metchtild, which she ultimately uses to fake her death.
The major difference that I thought was suitable to this adaptation, but overall kind of boring was the end. Ophelia survives. But since she is the main character of this version, we follow her as she departs from the castle and travels away to start a new life with her baby. The problem lies in the fact that all the final climactic action is in the castle. There is the final scene between Hamlet and Laertes (Tom Felton) where Hamlet is struck and dies, but his death for some reason doesn’t feel as impactful. Maybe that’s because it doesn’t matter. Ophelia is already gone. We know she’s not at the massacre, so the stakes aren’t as high.
Overall, I enjoyed this film. The costumes, music, and cinematography were nicely done, and it was clear to me that a large amount of inspiration was taken from John Everett Millais’s painting by the same name, Ophelia. I was glad I watched this, and I look forward to other projects featuring George MacKay and Daisy Ridley.
Rating: PG-13
My Score: 3.5/5