Ophelia

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia goes crazy after her father Polonius is murdered by her lover, the titular Danish prince. Supposedly, she falls into a river while picking flowers, singing as she slowly drowns. Set in 14th-century Elsinore, Australian director Claire McCarthy’s film, adapted from Lisa Klein’s titular 2006 YA novel, offers a revisionist perspective. “You may think you know my story,” Ophelia (Daisy Ridley) says, adding, “I was always a willful girl.” Indeed, at the age of 10, motherless Ophelia snuck into a royal banquet where, overhearing a conversation about Eve’s Biblical temptation, she declared: “I think the apple was quite innocent in the matter.” Unlike other young women of that era, headstrong Ophelia knows how to read, a skill that appeals to Queen Gertrude (Naomi Watts), who likes Ophelia to read bawdy medieval erotica aloud to her. And that, added to her familiarity with particular herbs, quickly elevates Ophelia to favored lady-in-waiting status, and she makes trip-after-trip into the woods to visit the hermit’s hovel belonging to the witch Mechtild (also Watts) to obtain elixirs and potions for the “fickle, frail” Queen. Meanwhile, after his father dies, Prince Hamlet (George MacKay) returns home to take his rightful place on the throne, but his ambitious Uncle Claudius (Clive Owen) has other ideas, romantically pursuing sister-in-law Gertrude, which sparks rumors about the late monarch’s demise. While the production design (elegant costumes, lush cinematography) is sumptuous, Steven Price’s loud, pretentious score drowns out much of the dialogue in this slick but silly film in which the feminist novelty quickly wears off. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include cast and crew interviews (31 min.), and deleted scenes (8 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for a misguided Shakespeare-inspired drama.] (S. Granger)