GRAND THEFT HAMLET Review

Grand Theft Hamlet may be the most “a film of its time” any movie has ever been. This film’s ability to capture the existential dread and overwhelming boredom felt by millions across the globe at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely unrivaled by any film released to date. On paper, this movie would not be accessible to very many people; as Mark Oosterveen points out – the overlapping section on the vin diagram of people who enjoy Shakespeare and Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto is likely rather slim. Despite this seeming barrier to entry in the medium (a first-person video game with no holds barred on morality or the actions you can take in regards to that lack of morality) and subject matter (a 16th-century playwright’s most famous work), Grand Theft Hamlet is a film that anyone could engage because, while often riotously funny, it encapsulates the feeling of being stuck in your home with no social life and (for many) no job to speak of at the beginning of the decade. It is an infuriating feeling to return to, yet it is captured so perfectly that when the film authentically lets that feeling shine through, it is at its most undeniable.

It is admittedly a bit of a strange documentary. There are many moments and lines that feel pre-conceived, but, similar to a production of Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto, to my knowledge, no one has attempted to create a feature-length “making of” documentary within the confines of a video game about a production occurring within that same videogame. Moments that feel scripted are understandable in a reflexive documentary where speakers and subjects are confined to rigid avatars devoid of fluid movement or facial expression. The Hamlet directors’ commitment to the play mirrors that of the commitment of the directing duo (and spouses) of the documentary, as, while they live in the same home, they opt to argue within a GTA scene for the sake of capturing the story they are trying to tell. Reflexive documentaries rarely feel wholly authentic, and frequently, the stagnant nature of the GTA world only emphasizes this point. Still, the plight of actors who have no other means of pursuing their chosen career in a world shut down by a global pandemic is compelling all the same.

Unfortunately, this idea, while central, is not the only theme Grand Theft Hamlet grapples with. Often, the documentary oscillates between a reflexive, almost diarylike mode where the filmmakers reflect on their inability to pursue their chosen creative careers, a “making of” documentary that emphasizes the trials and tribulations as well as the very real-time commitment required to produce a play even on as small a scale as a Grand Theft Auto lobby, and themes surrounding the power that video games have to unite people and give people safe spaces to express themselves. Any of these threads alone would make for a compelling story or documentary. When combined into an experimental format that switches between pre-meditated testimonials and spontaneous and authentic moments of interactions between the filmmakers and the collection of gamers who attend their auditions and shows, the film easily strays from its most powerful themes. This is the most prominent detriment to the film. You may find yourself wishing there was more footage of the titular show, and yet, that would undermine the presumed goal of the film. You wouldn’t expect the “making of” Hamlet documentary to feature a majority of the show in question. Grand Theft Hamlet abides by the same rules. It is a documentary about the process of putting on a theater production. At the same time, it isn’t.

Really, it’s a diarylike documentary about the predicament many artists found themselves in during the pandemic. Yet, it also isn’t really that either. Maybe it is a documentary about the power of video games (especially during the pandemic) to bring people together. Perhaps the answer here is that it is all three of these things… just never at the same time and never very cogently. The authentic moments, where the film truly shines, aggressively clash with the more reflexive moments that feel pre-meditated. The focus on the actors who audition and perform the play feels like an unfortunate afterthought as they frequently breathe a great deal of life into the often-dour outlook of the documentary’s more prominent subjects.

The Verdict:

Despite its lack of organization or poignancy, Grand Theft Hamlet is a wholly unique piece of documentary filmmaking. At its most authentic, it shines in its interactions with other gamers searching for purpose in a COVID-ridden world. The documentary likely captures the feeling of being trapped in the confines of your own home just as well as (if not better than) any other pandemic film out there, albeit a bit messily. To its credit, this messiness and meandering propensity feels apt for a movie capturing the hell that was the COVID-19 Pandemic.

🍿 SCORE = 55 / 100