Hamlet

I love Shakespeare's play Hamlet (it was my favorite piece to teach my British literature students) so I have been eagerly anticipating Aneil Karia's bold new version featruring a contemporary South Asian perspective for what seems like forever.  I finally had a chance to see it last night as part of a double feature and to say that I loved it would be an understatement!  When Hamlet (Riz Ahmed), the scion of a wealthy South Asian family in London, learns that his father (Avijit Dutt), the CEO of a real estate holding company called Elsinore, has died after a long illness, he is overcome with grief.  He is also devastated to hear that his mother Gertrude (Sheeba Chaddha) is planning to marry his uncle Claudius (Art Malik).  He goes to a club and, while in a drug-induced haze, he sees the ghost of his father who tells him that Claudius is responsible for his death and that Hamlet must avenge him. He is not sure if this vision really happened so he begins investigating Claudius and discovers corruption at Elsinore.  Claudius and his business associate Polonius (Timothy Spall) have been tearing down affordable housing in favor of luxury high-rises and have been evicting tenants who have nowhere to go.  When Hamlet finally decides to take action, he sets in motion a tragedy that affects both his friends and family.  I am usually a purist but there are some changes to the text, which retains Shakespeare's language, that I found incredibly intriguing.  I loved the choice to focus entirely on Hamlet's POV with the camera following him to an almost claustrophobic degree because the audience really sees his isolation and downward spiral.  I loved that Laertes (Joe Alwyn) and Ophelia (Morfydd Clark) replace Horatio as a character and act as Hamlet's confidants because it makes his actions even more devastating. I loved that Polonius is given a more menacing characterization because it makes his death more provacative.  I loved that the play-within-a-play is reimagined as an elaborate dance at the traditional Indian wedding of Gertrude and Claudius because it is both entertaining and shocking.  I loved that Hamlet delivers his famous soliloquy while speeding recklessly on the the wrong side of the road because it is a more explicit portrayal of his suicidal state of mind.  Finally, I love that the disgruntled former tenants act as a stand-in for Fortinbras's army because taking on an evil corporation is a brilliant way to give a modern update to the overthrow of a kingdom.  Ahmed gives an emotional performance that I found absolutely captivating and I also enjoyed Clark's more restrained take on Ophelia, especially the mad scene.  This might not appeal to everyone but it blew me away and I highly recommend it!