43/15
Struggling actors Sam and Mark find solace in their isolation by staging Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto Online (2022), while battling grief as they bond through William Shakespeare. Your Interest, the documentary is set in January 2021 and the UK is still in lockdown due to COVID-19; to pass the time, two actors, Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, decide to play Grand Theft Auto Online. While playing the game, they find an area in the game that is almost impossible to find, an amphitheater called The Vinewood Bowl (inspired by the real Hollywood Bowl in LA), which serves as a venue for concerts and events. With this discovery comes a humorous idea – a digital production of Hamlet. They decide to pre-enact a few monologues from the game, which results in hilarious moments when they are interrupted by other players who open fire on them, so they shoot back, and then a SWAT team quickly arrives on the scene to escalate the chaos even further. . The funny thing is that he’s still delivering his monologue while shooting the police. The entire documentary is in a video game, and there’s even gameplay footage, but the funny idea turns into a serious project. The plan is to do an entire play of Hamlet through GTA, set up auditions in the online game to get people on board, do rehearsals, block it out, and eventually stream the event live. But that comes with its own challenges and difficulties, like organizing a production in the world of video games. Whether it’s internet connectivity issues, availability issues, or other players interrupting the rehearsal, it all becomes a huge headache and a burden for everyone involved. The funniest part of the documentary is the ridiculousness of it all. There were a lot of laughs from everyone, including me. What surprised me, though, was how personal and strangely thought-provoking it gets when they ask themselves why they’re doing this and why this stupid idea is causing them so much stress. Some of them have families to take care of, some have jobs. But for some, it gives them meaning, motivation, and a therapeutic escape. So that silliness gives someone a reason to keep going. Or one part where a trans cast member finds a deep connection to the play and the character of Hamlet, because when they come out to their family members as trans, they realize they don’t know their true characters until the ugly truth is revealed. They become more distant than before. Shakespeare’s text is still relevant—and what amazes me is the different interpretations that people can get from the play. It made me think about some things while watching it. Yes, Grand Theft Hamlet made me think about things. After the screening, we had a quick Q&A with Mark Oosterveen. I’ve never been to a Q&A before, and I’m glad I stayed because I learned so much more about this doctor. Mark said something compelling about his acting style, which is a mix of puppetry (controlling his avatar in a game) and voice work (using a headset microphone to chat online). But what’s even more crazy and surreal is that the Royal Shakespeare Company contacted them to ask if they had a live performance taped so they could show it to younger people and get them interested in Shakespeare. Not bad Overall rating: The wildest and most amazing documentaries.