During the third lockdown in the UK, two actors, Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, play Grand Theft Auto (GTA) together. One day, they discover an outdoor amphitheatre in-game. They discuss Shakespeare’s plays, which are just as violent as GTA. So, they decided to put on a production of Hamlet, which was performed entirely in GTA. Pinny Grylls, Sam’s partner and documentary director, joins Sam and Mark in GTA to film this endeavour. The documentary goes through the whole process, from filming the video to advertising auditions, the rehearsals, the staging, and then the play itself.
I had no expectations going into this film, and I didn’t even know what it would be about other than a performance of Hamlet in GTA. It sounded exactly like something a lockdown would inspire.

First, GTA—I don’t play and have never played it, but I’ve watched people play it. The violence is so absurd and random that it’s laughable. Sam and Mark laughed as they got gunned down trying to talk to people about the play. The audience laughed along with them. I don’t remember being in a film with that much laughter since The Hangover.
It had its silly parts: the random fighting, killing people, raids by police, and the hijacking of cars while they were attempting to rehearse for the play. But then, there were heavy parts. Sam and Mark sought connections in the game. There was some heavy stuff discussed and a lot of introspection. Sam and Mark were so real and honest throughout. Like Sam missing Pinny’s birthday and Pinny talking to him about it in the game. Or Mark’s loneliness and being the last person left in his family. One of the most impactful things was when Sam rehearsed “To be or not to be…”. He asked another player, someone random, what that line meant explicitly to them.

The really beautiful thing about the film was that it documented a moment in time. People were isolated and lonely and sought connections through video games. Yet, it also sparked the creative idea of putting on a play within GTA. It led to Mark, Sam, and Pinny meeting people in the game that they would have never met in real life. They faced challenges and constant interruptions while planning, and it seemed almost impossible to accomplish the production. There were conflicts between the cast’s obligations within the game, and then what was happening in real life. I really liked this documentary film. It was entertaining and engaging, and it really made you think. There were funny and depressing parts, and it was much more than Hamlet.

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I’m a Data Analyst, from the land of Matthew McConaughey. I’m an avid movie-goer and love seeing films in theaters. My most recent favorite films are Good Time, Only Lovers Left Alive, TENET, and England is Mine. When I’m not at the movies, I’m either reading or watching obscene amount of true crime and historical documentaries.