London Independent Film Festival 2022 UK Premiere Review: MUCH ADO

Note: This review was previously published during the Paris International Film Festival 2022

The Shakespeare Sisters, Anna-Elizabeth and Hillary, are establishing themselves as key female voices in independent cinema, celebrating the virtue of female-driven narratives and also celebrating the joys of youthful perspective and reflection. Their teen comedy, SOUNDTRACK TO SIXTEEN, captured perfectly the essence of adolescent uncertainty in British culture.

It seemed coincidental and inevitable that the pair might consider the work of their namesake, William Shakespeare, which has been captured umpteen times cinematically over the years, thanks to film-makers like Baz Luhrmann, Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh, with the likes of HAMLET, HENRY V, ROMEO AND JULIET and THE TAMING OF THE SHREW all getting literal and not-so-literal adaptations of the text.

The Sisters have gone for the Luhrmann perspective with their new version of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, simply titled MUCH ADO. This version could well be AKA’d ‘Let’s throw some Bard on the ‘Barbie’ in the shadow of a Rugby Tour’, as it adopts a contemporary feel amidst the world of university life in the English countryside.

A rugby team’s van breaks down and the house of local businessman Leonato (Peter Saracen) is the saving grace. Also in the house are his daughter Hero (Jody Larcombe, enchanting) and niece Beatrice (Emma Beth Jones, bouncy and feisty). Beatrice has to contend with ex Benedick (Johnny Lucas), whilst Hero is besotted with Claudio (Luke Hunter).

The two love strands are destined to be more convoluted, as alternate perspectives and plans are about to test the bond of these young loves. Remember, though, this is Shakespeare…..

Dependent on your attitude to the classic works, be you a first-timer or an avid devotee of Iambic, MUCH ADO is a vibrant addition to the ever-increasing film and theatre legacy of Stratford-Upon-Avon’s finest. Given the alternate visions of other film-makers, it will not take long for audiences to embrace this concept, with a great cast who invest fully and heartedly into the text. Classic Shakespearian themes of deception and love are not too far away and it is a good introduction to the works of the Bard.

The London Independent Film Festival runs from 1^st – 10^th April 2022.

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