Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- romantic
- melancholic
- heightened
- period drama night
- shakespeare adaptation marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually accomplished and intriguing in its effort to give Ophelia agency, while judging the expanded story and protagonist uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ophelia's viewpoint drives the retelling of Hamlet and reframes familiar events around her choices.
The film uses Hamlet as its foundation but expands Ophelia's backstory, romance, and political navigation.
Elsinore Castle, grand costumes, and the contrast between cavernous interiors and warmer natural settings define the visual world.
Ophelia navigates the rules of the Danish court while choosing between love, loyalty, and her own life.
Films like Ophelia, and why
Lady Macbeth
female-centered reinterpretation of a canonical literary tragedy with romantic tension and political intrigue
The Favourite
stylized period romance shaped by court politics, betrayal, and a woman's constrained agency
Romeo + Juliet
accessible Shakespeare adaptation emphasizing romance, youthful passion, and heightened historical drama
Mary Shelley
revisionist literary period drama that gives a marginalized woman greater narrative agency
Movie Details
- Director
- Claire McCarthy
- Release Date
- 2019-06-28
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (619)
Cast
- Daisy Ridley
- Naomi Watts
- Clive Owen
- George MacKay
- Tom Felton
- Devon Terrell
- Nathaniel Parker
- Dominic Mafham
- Daisy Head
- Sebastian de Souza
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ophelia about?
- A fiercely romantic reimagining of Hamlet that places Ophelia’s intelligence, survival, and agency at the center of Denmark’s treacherous court.
- What is Ophelia like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ophelia as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ophelia violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Ophelia as moderate.
- What did critics think of Ophelia?
- Critics broadly found the film visually accomplished and intriguing in its effort to give Ophelia agency, while judging the expanded story and protagonist uneven.
- Which films are like Ophelia?
- Films with a similar feel include Lady Macbeth, The Favourite, Romeo + Juliet, and Mary Shelley.
- How long is Ophelia?
- Ophelia runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ophelia?
- In United States, Ophelia streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Sundance Now.
