"R # J" // SXSW 2021
William Shakespeare's timeless stories have been told and retold countless times over the years. Knowing that, is it really time to re-tell yet another version of Romeo & Juliet? If we're speaking of this film, the answer is a resounding YES. Carey Williams updates the Bard's classic tragedy of love and loss with R#J, updated for this generation, using Shakespeare's words, a few of his own, and telling it entirely through technology. Meaning, we see the story though text messages, Instagram stories, video chats and so on and so on. What sounds like it could be a one note pony kind of film ends up being an impressively structured lightning bolt of a film that may not be for the purist, but most definitely helps make the Bard accessible to a new generation. Not only that, but the entire cast is made up of BIPOC actors, beautifully enriching the lens with color and power.
In this version (and yes, it's abridged, leaving out elements that doesn't make sense in this style of adaption), Romeo (Camaron Engels) is a young man who speaks to his best friends Mercutio (Siddiq Saunderson) and Benvolio (RJ Cyler) through video chats and text chains. Mercutio informs his buddies that he's got a hook up to get into a huge party at the Capulets - they are still at war with each other, but in this world Capulet and Montague were once best friends, pulled apart by tragedy and misunderstandings. Also in this version, Lady Capulet has passed, so the party is both a celebration of life and a mourning of her passing. Juliet (Francesca Noel), a young Mexican teen, paints her face via "Dia de los Muertos" to mourn the loss she still feels deeply. She expresses herself through painting, shown on an Instagram feed, which Romeo instantly adores. With her face paint and the face paint Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio wear, the disguises are set and soon they are all off to meet their destiny's.
Another changes is the Nurse is transformed into Juliet's sister Nancy (Maria Gabriela de Faria), but Juliet's spitfire cousin Tybalt (Diego Tinoco) remains the same. He's still angry at everything and anything, unhappy with his treatment in the world and ready to lash out at a moment's notice. However, in this version you also understand his pain, even if you don't agree with his methods. Soon the star crossed lovers meet and fall in love, angering everyone from both sides. If you know this story, you know that it doesn't end in a happily ever after, and yet even with the looming pain fast approaching, Williams still stages the proceedings as if perhaps the events will change, that there can be hope found in this love affair. Camaron Engels is a dashing Romeo, sweet and tender and perfectly matched with Francesca Noel's Juliet, who brings a wonderful grace to the role. Their chemistry is dynamic and truly exciting to watch. Siddiq Saunderson and Diego Tinoco are both thrilling as Mercutio and Tybalt, completely making two classic characters fully their own. In fact, there's not a single bad casting choice in the lot, with even the smallest roles knocking it out of the park (I'm looking at you Jacob Ming-Trent as Friar Lawrence). With a running time of 90 minutes, it's definitely a streamlined R&J, but at long as you're not a purest at heart, this inventive and innovative adaptation is a refreshing change of pace, with a youthful cast that actually looks like the world we live in.
GRADE: A
BASED ON THE PLAY ROMEO & JULIET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY Carey Williams STARRING Camaron Engels, Francesca Noel, David Zayas, Diego Tinoco, Siddiq Saunderson, RJ Cyler, Russell Hornsby FEATURED AS PART OF THE 2021 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. FOR MORE INFO: R#J