14/44
Struggling actors Sam and Mark find solace from the isolation of lockdown by acting out Hamlet in Grand Theft Auto Online (2022), battling griefers while connecting through William Shakespeare. Grand Theft Hamlet is a hilarious, heartbreaking, and inspiring documentary that will get you hooked just by reading the premise. Set in January 2021, 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, they stumble upon an almost-hard-to-find area in the game, an amphitheater, called The Vinewood Bowl (inspired by the real-life Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles), which serves as a venue for concerts and events. A funny idea emerged from this discovery – a digital production of Hamlet. They decide to perform a few monologues from the play, which results in some hilarious moments where they are interrupted by other players opening fire on them, then they shoot back, and then the SWAT team quickly arrives on the scene to add to the chaos. The funny thing is that he is still doing his soliloquy while he is shooting at the police. The entire documentary is in the video game, and the gameplay footage is recorded. However, a funny idea turns into a serious project. The plan is to perform the entire play of Hamlet through GTA, organize auditions in the online game to attract people, do rehearsals, lock it down, and eventually stream the event live. But this comes with its own challenges and difficulties, like organizing production in the video game world. Whether it’s issues with internet connection, availability, or other players interrupting the rehearsal, it all becomes a huge headache and affects everyone involved. The funniest part of the documentary is the ridiculousness of it all. There were a lot of laughs from everyone, including me. But what struck me was how personal and, strangely, thought-provoking it was. There comes a point where they question why they’re doing this and why this silly idea is causing them so much stress. Some of them have families to support and some of them have jobs. But for some, it gives them purpose, drive and therapeutic escapism. So this silly thing is giving someone a reason to keep going. Or a part where a cast member who is trans 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 didn’t know their proper characters until the ugly truth. They become more distant than they were before. Shakespeare’s text still has relevance – and what strikes me is the different interpretations people can get from the play. While watching it, it made me think about certain things. Yes, Grand Theft Hamlet made me think about things. After the screening, we had a brief Q&A with Mark Oosterveen. I’ve never been to a Q&A before, and I’m glad I stuck around because I learned a lot more about the documentary. Mark had some compelling words about his acting style in this one, which is a mix of puppetry (controlling your avatar in the game) and voice work (using a headset microphone to speak online). But what’s even more insane and unreal is that the Royal Shakespeare Company contacted them asking if they had the performance recorded live so they could show it to younger people and get them interested in Shakespeare. Not bad. Overall rating: The wildest and most wonderful documentaries out there.
