Is this basically a Daisy Ridley fan-cam?

Kind of. She's in almost every scene and carries the movie. If your kid liked her in Star Wars, they'll probably enjoy seeing her use that same 'rebel' energy in a corset.

Do I need to know the play to understand it?

Not at all. It works as its own standalone story. However, knowing the original makes the 'twists' and changes a lot more interesting to talk about afterward.

Is it too dark for a middle schooler?

It’s moody and there’s death, but it isn’t a horror movie. The main thing to watch for is the psychological weight of the 'madness' and the suicide themes. Most 13-year-olds can handle it, but younger kids might just find it depressing.

How historically accurate is it?

It's a reimagining of a fictional play, so historical accuracy is low on the priority list. It’s more about the 'vibe' of the era than actual history.

Ophelia – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Ophelia

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2018

68%

WISE Score

Shakespeare’s most famous 'sad girl' gets a survivalist makeover in this lush, if slightly melodramatic, Hamlet remix.

Ophelia

movie

NR, 2018

68%

WISE Score

Shakespeare’s most famous 'sad girl' gets a survivalist makeover in this lush, if slightly melodramatic, Hamlet remix.

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Screenwise Verdict

It’s basically Hamlet reimagined as a YA novel. While it’s visually stunning, the plot gets a bit messy trying to give Ophelia agency in a story that’s fundamentally designed to fail her. It's a decent pick for a 'Shakespeare-adjacent' movie night, but don't expect the depth of the original play.

For parents, it's a safe enough bet for teens, especially those into Star Wars (for Ridley) or Game of Thrones style court drama. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a much more active and empowering version of the character than the one who just floats down a river in the play.

Age Fit

Best for the 13+ crowd. It's sophisticated enough for adults who like period pieces but has a 'young adult' energy that fits perfectly with a high schooler's drama radar.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

While it attempts to give a tragic character more agency, the story is still rooted in betrayal, madness, and court intrigue. It's more about survival than kindness.

Imaginative

A creative 'what-if' reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet. It successfully flips the perspective to a side character, which is a great exercise in narrative empathy.

Safe

The plot centers on faked madness and suicide, which could be heavy for some. There's also period-typical violence (poisoning, sword fights) and some mature romantic tension.

Enriching

Excellent for literature students or anyone interested in how classic stories can be deconstructed. It encourages critical thinking about historical female roles.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Visual feast with stunning production design that looks like a Pre-Raphaelite painting come to life.
Fresh perspective on a 400-year-old story, giving Ophelia a voice and a brain instead of just a tragic ending.
Daisy Ridley brings a grounded, relatable energy to a character usually defined by her fragility.
Literary bridge that might actually make a teen interested in reading the original play for school.

⚠

What to Watch For

The theme of faked suicide is central to the plot; if your kid is sensitive to self-harm imagery, this might be a tough watch despite the subversion.
It's a slow burn. If they aren't into period dramas or moody atmospheric pieces, they'll likely be bored by the twenty-minute mark.
The dialogue tries to walk the line between modern and Shakespearean, which sometimes results in lines that feel a bit 'YA novel' and clunky.

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think the original story of Hamlet didn't give Ophelia a chance to explain herself?"
"If you were in a situation where your family was making bad choices, would you stay or try to escape like Ophelia did?"
"Does changing the ending of a famous story make it better, or should we leave classics the way they were written?"

Deep Dive

The 'Sad Girl' Rebrand

If you’re expecting iambic pentameter and a brooding Dane, you’re in the wrong place. Ophelia is a full-on rebrand. It takes the classic 'madness' trope and turns it into a survival strategy. For a parent, this is actually a pretty cool conversation starter about agency and how history (and literature) tends to sideline women.

The film is visually stunning. We're talking heavy velvet, misty forests, and enough hair-braiding to fuel a thousand Pinterest boards. But it’s not just eye candy. It attempts to give Ophelia a backstory that involves secret marriages, poison-making, and a much more active role in the court’s politics.

The 'Wait, She Lives?' Factor

The biggest hurdle for some will be the departure from the source material. Shakespeare purists will probably have a minor stroke, but for a modern teen, the change might actually make the story more palatable. It moves away from the 'beautiful tragic suicide' aesthetic and toward something more resilient.

That said, it’s still a movie about a corrupt royal family where everyone is stabbing each other in the back. It’s moody, it’s slow in places, and the dialogue can get a bit stilted. It’s a solid 'B-movie' in the period drama genre—great for a rainy afternoon, but maybe not a cinematic masterpiece. If your kid is currently suffering through a Hamlet unit in English class, watching this might actually make them hate the Bard a little less.

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