'Ophelia' Trailer: Daisy Ridley Shows A New Side To Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'

There's no greater tragedy in the classic Shakespeare plays than the frequent under-serving of their secondary female characters. But Ophelia seeks to remedy that in its reimagining of Hamlet, which tells the tragedy of the Danish prince through the eyes of his doomed lover. Watch the Ophelia trailer below.

Daisy Ridley trades Star Wars for Shakespeare as the titular noblewoman of Denmark who falls in love with Prince Hamlet. But rather than going through the thankless supporting role of being stuck between her father Polonius and Hamlet before her tragic offscreen death, Ophelia gets to take center stage in the upcoming IFC film.

Ridley gives a fragile performance as Ophelia in the film directed by Australian filmmaker Claire McCarthy, who gives a painterly quality to Ophelia reminiscent of the famous paintings by John Everett Millais and John William Waterhouse. Millais and Waterhouse's paintings were what popularized the tragic iconography of Ophelia, and provide a clear visual foundation for McCarthy's film. Just look at the images from the film and the paintings side-by-side below.

Ophelia also stars Naomi Watts, Clive Owen, George MacKay, and Tom Felton. Here is the synopsis for Ophelia:

One of the world's greatest dramas is turned on its head through a bold and new perspective in OPHELIA. Set in medieval Denmark and spoken in a modern tongue with a poetic twist, it recalibrates the classic Shakespearean tragedy of "Hamlet" so that its unspoken, complex heroine may share her own story. As a rebellious and motherless child, Ophelia (Daisy Ridley) is taken into Elsinore Castle by Queen Gerturde (Naomi Watts) as one of her most trusted ladies-in-waiting. Soon enough, Ophelia captures the affections of the young Prince Hamlet (George MacKay). A passionate romance kindles between the two in secret as the kingdom is on the brink of war amidst its own political intrigue and betrayal. When Hamlet's father is murdered and the prince's wits begin to unravel into an insatiable quest for vengeance, Ophelia sharply navigates the rules of power in Denmark all while struggling to choose between her true love and her own life.

Ophelia opens in theaters on June 28, 2019 and VOD July 5, 2019.