Riz Ahmed’s Modern William Shakespeare Movie Arrives on Digital Today

Vertical’s recently released modern William Shakespeare movie starring Academy Award nominee Riz Ahmed is now finally available to rent or own on digital platforms. Titled Hamlet, the movie takes place in present-day London, where a man hopes to take revenge against the person responsible for his father’s murder.

What do we know about Riz Ahmed’s Hamlet movie?

The newest film adaptation of Hamlet was directed by Aneil Karia, with Michael Lesslie writing the screenplay. The ensemble cast also includes Morfydd Clark as Ophelia, Joe Alwyn as Laertes, Art Malik as Claudius, Sheeba Chaddha as Gertrude, Timothy Spall as Polonius, and Avijit Dutt as Hamlet’s father. Following its world premiere at last year’s Telluride Film Festival, the movie received a Certified Fresh score of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 102 reviews.

“Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy is reimagined in a bold, modern adaptation set within London’s elite South Asian community,” reads the official synopsis. “When Hamlet (Ahmed) 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 brutal murder was at the hands of Claudius — and spirals into a quest for vengeance that exposes the rot at the heart of the family’s empire and threatens his own sanity.”

In addition to leading the cast, Ahmed was also serving as a producer alongside Lesslie, Allie Moore, Tommy Oliver, and James Wilson. Executive producers were Ken Kao, Louise Ortega, Josh Rosenbaum, Eva Yates, Dan Kreeger, Claudia Yusef, and P.J. van Sandwijk. The creative team consisted of director of photography Stuart Bentley, editor Amanda James, composer Maxwell Sterling, and editor Mikkel E.G. Nielsen.

During a recent interview with ComingSoon, Ahmed explained the importance of adapting the classic Shakespeare story into today’s setting.

“It felt like it’s time for and now because Hamlet, as a story, is dealing with a very timely theme for us,” He said. “It’s dealing with a character who’s grieving the illusion that the world was a fair place, and we all feel like that. We’re all waking up going, ‘Man, has the world gone crazy, or have I?’ That’s how Hamlet feels. That’s how we feel. So that’s why it felt important to have another interpretation of it now.”

Source: Comingsoon.net