SCARLET is Mamoru Hosoda’s riff on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. While it is a starting point with echoes, it takes it into its own universe.
The film is the story of princess Scarlet (Hamlet) whose
father is killed by her uncle. Before
she can kill him she is poisoned and sent to a kind of purgatory world that she
has to cross to get to the infinite land. However, her uncle has also died, and
he is entrenched in a castle guarding the path to the infinite land.
Visually arresting, SCARLET is a film you will want to see
on a big screen. Images, such as the giant godlike dragon who floats over the
world will blow your mind. This film as some of the most incredible images you
will see all year.
Narratively the film is all over the place. Some sections
work to the point that you will be reduced to tears, and others are simply intellectually
interesting. Characters are unevenly drawn, with some of the uncle’s henchmen
seemingly to be little more than a sketch despite having important roles. The
rules of the after life also seem thrown together (the timeless nature for
example) for no really good reason
except it allows certain things to happen. While never fatal, the film simply
isn’t as narratively strong as any of Hosoda’s other films, despite having moments
that are among the best things he’s ever done, which means they are high points
in cinema history.
While Scarlet is imperfect, it is still a deeply moving
film. While a doubt it might get an Oscar I do think it is a must see. This is
a film that is going to influence a generation of filmmakers and story tellers.
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