Ophelia

PG-13

Released Jun 28, 2019

1 hr. 54 min.

Drama

Romance

TRAILER

for Ophelia: Trailer 1

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59%

126 Reviews

Tomatometer

As a rebellious and motherless child, Ophelia is taken into Elsinore Castle by Queen Gerturde as one of her most trusted ladies-in-waiting. Soon enough, Ophelia captures the affections of the young Prince Hamlet. A passionate romance secretly kindles between the two as the kingdom is on the brink of war amidst its own political intrigue and betrayal. When Hamlet's father is murdered and the prince begins to unravel, Ophelia sharply navigates the rules of power in Denmark.

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Critics Consensus

Flawed yet intriguing, Ophelia uses Hamlet as the starting point for a noble attempt to offer a misunderstood character long-overdue agency.

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JM J

A retelling of a classic tale, or any literary piece for that matter, is expected to be with relative flaws and by any means does not necessarily have to rival the source material—but rather compliment it by taking as much inspiration as creatively possible. "Ofelia" started off with a premise that's too familiar to be considered extraordinary. Yet with all the films that came before it having the same overused tropes and plotlines, Ofelia manages to unfold from cliché to intriguing, gradually revealing itself as a massive puzzle with missing pieces, and effectively using this facade as a hook to keep you seated and wish for more clues to unravel right before your eyes. But you know the answers are always somewhere in the middle or at the end, and so you wait, albeit impatiently. Because by then, the narrative has developed into an unfamiliar territory. And you crave for more even if doing so means reaching a cul-de-sac. Only a very few, well-crafted films have that "hold", that "charisma". For a film to take off from a cliché base and skyrocket into uncharted heights, then fall back unscathed—is a rarity. It requires just enough mystery and drama to make a very potent concoction—one that stings but not quite kill. Ofelia is one effective genius at that.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

Full Review

Sebastian v

Just great, to add a new view and twist on a traditional story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/24

Full Review

Steve D

Interesting idea terrible changes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/06/23

Full Review

Michael T

Visually it looked good, but it felt stilted. The characters never came to life. It was as if they were wading through emotional molasses and we were looking through a glass darkly. It all felt so removed, it was hard to care what happened to any of them.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

Full Review

Teresa W

Excellent writing, beautiful cinematography and absolutely phenomenal acting!! What a beautifully told version of Ophelia!! I highly recommend watching this film!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/10/23

Full Review

patrick f

They had a ton of ground to cover in only 2 hours. The result was an incredibly fast pace film that blew through character moments and plot far too quickly. Would have been better has a miniseries than a movie. That being said, it was a well acted and intriguing drama. Daisy Ridley was fantastic.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Claire McCarthy

Director

Daisy Ridley

Ophelia

Naomi Watts

Gertrude

Clive Owen

Claudius

George MacKay

Hamlet

Tom Felton

Laertes

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Ophelia: Trailer 1

2:02

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Oh dear. Oh no. Ophelia. A curious, if ambitious, central conceit is here battered into inconsequentiality by a scattershot screenplay that flees so far from the original Shakespeare that it leaves little purpose, or relevant material, in the retelling.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 25, 2019

Full Review

Ian Freer

Empire Magazine

An interesting, well played and well made attempt to reframe Shakespeare's most famous play through a feminist lens, Ophelia ultimately doesn't have the boldness to deliver on its resonant idea.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 25, 2019

Full Review

Maria Nae

Little White Lies

A confused melodrama more fitting for a retelling of Twilight in the woods than of the greatest play ever written.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 22, 2019

Full Review

Cate Marquis

AWFJ.org

Not everything in the film works, but Daisy Ridley is terrific, sets and costumes are beautiful, plus just the idea of the mysterious Ophelia telling her own version is irresistible.

Oct 13, 2021

Full Review

Susan Wloszczyna

AWFJ.org

...this overtly serious enterprise seems to be pandering to the Twilight generation with slow-motion sword fights while purloining bits from Macbeth...

Oct 13, 2021

Full Review

Leslie Combemale

AWFJ.org

This film argues women being relegated to secondary character, both in life and in film, is also no longer enough.

Oct 13, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

As a rebellious and motherless child, Ophelia is taken into Elsinore Castle by Queen Gerturde as one of her most trusted ladies-in-waiting. Soon enough, Ophelia captures the affections of the young Prince Hamlet. A passionate romance secretly kindles between the two as the kingdom is on the brink of war amidst its own political intrigue and betrayal. When Hamlet's father is murdered and the prince begins to unravel, Ophelia sharply navigates the rules of power in Denmark.

Director: Claire McCarthy
Executive Producer: Alastair Burlingham, Elissa Friedman, Mathew Hart, Anton Lessine, Sasha Shapiro
Screenwriter: Semi Chellas, Lisa M. Klein
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: Forthcoming Films, Covert Media, Bobker / Kruger Films, Bert Marcus Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Some Sensuality|Bloody Images|A Scene of Violence|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 4, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.7K
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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