“To Be Or Not To Be?” That is a central question in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It also leads to questions that needed to be asked in regards to Riz Ahmed’s Hamlet: To Be Modern or Be Classic? or To Be Both? or Not To Be Either One? (Apologies, Mr. Shakespeare). The director and writer seemingly chose the ‘Not To Be‘, and the movie suffered for it. Pause here with me and let’s set the stage.
Directed by Aneil Karia and starring Riz Ahmed, Art Malik, Timothy Spall, Joe Alwyn, Morfydd Clark, Avijit Dutt, and Sheeba Chadha, the film opens on April 10th. A reimagining of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s enduring tragedy, this film is a modern adaptation set within London’s elite South Asian community. When Hamlet returns for his father’s funeral, he is stunned to discover his uncle, Claudius, is marrying his newly widowed mother. Visited by his father’s ghost, Hamlet learns his father was brutally murdered at the hands of Claudius. He spirals into a quest for vengeance that exposes the rot at the heart of the family’s empire and threatens his own sanity.
The duality of modern and classic…therein lies the crux of a problem: Hamlet in this film lives in the modern day, but the dialogue was kept in Shakespearean lines and cadence. An intriguing choice when you first think of it, but sadly, it did not translate. The film starts with no dialogue, and I remember the first line, a young boy said, ‘My lord’, and I was immediately jarred out of the world; that jarring continued throughout the film. Presented this way, with a modern setting and the classic play’s lines, it lost the depth of Shakespeare’s prose and the meaning of the scenes, making the film, and especially the story, less understandable and relatable. Though the Shakespearean pentameter was spoken well by most of the players, this mash-up did not land.
One of the main issues with the dichotomy was that even if you know the classical Hamlet story, you can still get lost. If you are completely unfamiliar with the plot of this revenge drama, you will find yourself lost in the vines of the words and think, ‘Wait, what is happening?’ That is never a good thing.
Now, I did watch this as a screener, so this next criticism may be a technical issue, but many times, you could not hear the Shakespearean lines, no matter how well delivered. With the changes in delivery volume, the cacophony of music, and the roar of the car, so many important moments were lost, and it fueled the fire of the ‘wait… what?’
A highlight was that this was told as a modern psychological thriller instead of the DRAMA of Hamlet, and that was such a fascinating take. The aspect of focusing on Hamlet’s complete breakdown and really getting inside his mind was brilliant. If it had been played with modern language, it would have worked so much better because the ACTING was terrific.
Coming to Riz Ahmed, from the first look into his eyes, he was Hamlet. His performance was outstanding. He was not playing Hamlet, be it classic or modern-day, he WAS Hamlet. So, in every step he took toward his descent into madness, he walked every line with finesse and absolute, powerful intention. His Hamlet stunned me. Even without words, you could feel. The direction was frenetic, and it added to the exposure of his mental state. I kept thinking, is this what is happening inside his head, and what Hamlet sees and reacts to in his darkness? The real-ness of his performance is the mark of a true artist. Ahmed’s complete immersion makes the film. Bravo, Mr. Ahmed, bravo.
I really, really wish Ophelia’s fate was not thrown away. Morfydd Clark played her incredibly well. Even from her first scene, by the first look in her eyes, you could tell she was broken. I would have loved to experience her performance of Ophelia’s final speech, both in Shakespeare’s words and modern ones as well.
One of the best small moments and a brilliant decision was having the ghost speak in Hindi. That made that monologue and scene have even more power and within this world, right and oh, so good. Bravo to Avijit Dutt for his delivery.
A shoutout must go to Akram Khan, the choreographer of the dance nautanki at the wedding reception. It was captivating, powerful, and it was the story told through movement that hit the mark. The visuals were amazing. Also applause to the troupe, especially the lead dancer, Subhash Viman Gorania. He was outstanding.
Since I am a theatre kid and my parents were Shakespeare aficionados, there is more to say, to nitpick: missing scenes, changed lines, and missing characters (Horatio!), and other things to praise, but I think this is a film where you need to experience it and decide for yourself.
This ‘to be’ was an ‘almost’, but in the end, it was ‘not to be’ for me. It was a bold reimagining that got lost between the time and the line. Now, it did not completely work for me, but for many, this may be the way into Shakespeare, and that does not… signify nothing.
