"Director Aneil Karia keeps the former but makes some notable changes to the latter in his riff on the classic tale, transporting the action to the South Asian community in London in present-day. Telling Hamlet in under two hours is a tough challenge that Kaira can't overcome, notably giving short shrift to Ophelia's arc and altering key events in the murderous outcomes."
"After a night of clubbing, a hazy Hamlet stumbles into the street to see the ghost of his father, who he follows to a rooftop to hear the horrifying truth: He was murdered. Hamlet sets in motion the well-known series of events, the play designed to expose Claudius reimagined as an intense dance number that's one of the highlights of the film."
TIFF screenings included many films that played other festivals and faster cross-Atlantic transfers. Director Aneil Karia sets Hamlet in present-day South Asian London, retaining setting changes while altering plot events and murderous outcomes. The adaptation compresses the story to under two hours, which shortchanges Ophelia's arc and complicates character development. Karia employs manufactured intensity and pervasive shaky handheld camerawork that often distracts from the performances. Riz Ahmed delivers an expressive, near-tear performance as Hamlet, anchoring the film and providing its emotional core amid the stylistic excesses and narrative truncation.
Read at Roger Ebert
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