William Shakespeare’s
Francesca Noel and Cameron Engels. It’s helmed by a Black filmmaker. And it finds a way to propel a 500-year-old play into the present day. But, fam,
R#J is just not a good movie.
In fact, it’s pretty horrendous and right from the start. Williams immediately drops his audience inside an increasingly confusing vortex where his protagonists, two teenagers in an urban neighborhood, exist in today’s world but speak in iambic pentameter, the English poetry style made famous by Shakespeare.
Cameron Engels and Francesca Noel in R#J
To be doubly clear, they say things like “Where art thou” and “Ye,” and not in jest. This is just how they talk. Intellectual audiences might assume in the beginning that the two are simply boning up on their British literature or practicing for a recital. Nope, buckle up, this is the entire ride.
2021 Sundance Film Festival Review – R#J
Starring Camaron Engels, Francesca Noel, David Zayas, Diego Tinoco, Siddiq Saunderson, and Russell Hornsby.
SYNOPSIS:
A modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy “Romeo and Juliet.”
A movie adaptation of The Bard’s most popular play for the Instagram set has the obvious potential to be completely insufferable, and yet, Carey Williams’ daring debut harnesses just enough beguiling skill and slipperiness to prove itself worthwhile.
Perhaps every generation gets the
Romeo and Juliet movie they deserve; Baz Luhrman’s 1996 take perfectly captured the edgy gloss of the MTV generation with its staccato editing and marrow-rich colours, while if nothing else, this new take for the social media generation captures modern youth in all of its openness, sensitivity, and yes, narcissism.
Premiere: Jan. 30th 7:00 p.m.
There are a lot things that make me old, but a version of William Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet that makes
Baz Luhrmann
‘s psychedelic and visionary
Romeo + Juliet feel like an old-school, traditionalist take on the material may take the proverbial cake, and while it’s not entirely successful as a film, director Carey Williams’ feature debut,
R#J, does do that much.
R#J tells the tale of a war brewing between rival houses, but captures it in a new and genuinely unique way. Montague and Capulet Gen-Zers are using their cell phones to document the eruptions of violence plaguing their communities. In the middle of it all, Romeo (
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Currently Reading R#J Review: Confined to Digital Screens, Romeo and Juliet Update Feels More Like an Experiment Than a Movie
Carey Williams bold technological gamble finds some contemporary relevance but eschews narrative purpose for its unique setting.
Tomris Laffly, provided by
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Director: Carey Williams
With: Camaron Engels, Sydney Graham, Moe Irvin, RJ Cyler, Siddiq Saunderson, Francesca Noel, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Diego Tinoco, Russell Hornsby.
Running time: Running time: 91 MIN.
Courtesy of Sundance Institute
There are instances in director Carey Williams’ boldly experimental yet wearisome “R#J” that genuinely grasp the essence of romance, identity and existence in the age of social media. Those fleeting but relatable moments feel like major triumphs in Williams’ Gen Z-centric adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet,” a movie that unfolds almost entirely on electronic screens. And you get a taste of them enough times