A modern day, completely fucked up retelling of Wiliam Shakespeare’s The Tempest in which Prospero (Lloyd Kaufman) attracts a boat full of people to a town in New Jersey. In #ShakespeareShitstorm, viewers will see a twisted rendition of the world-famous play full of hookers, madmen, and whale feces. Shakespeare has never been seen like this before, and this is the strangest telling of one of the classic writer’s works.
#ShakespeareShitstorm is a racist, sexist orgy–and it’s hilarious. It examines everything that is wrong with humanity, primarily the idea of being a social justice warrior. It’s clear that this is meant to entertain (and that educating or informing comes second). Sure, some will agree with the political sentiments being expressed, and others will be offended by what director Kaufman brings to life. Regardless of which side of the line you fall on, you will easily be able to admit that #ShakespearesShitstorm is a damn mess. The film is all over the place, it’s wild, sexually driven, harsh, and entirely one of a kind.
This film is difficult to explain–it’s hard to express what’s present in #ShakespearesShitstorm without giving the entire film away, but there are two things that exist throughout: feces and boobs. Those two things never seem to relent, not throughout the entirety of the film. If you don’t like whacky films, or films that may not make too much sense on the surface, the reality is that you likely won’t like #ShakespearesShitstorm. But holy shit–this is an absurdly fun film. The acting appears to be quite bad, and it took me some time to realize that what I was watching was actually quite enjoyable. That acting may have actually been poor on purpose, meaning this group of unique actors is quite talented. From the film’s lead (Kaufman) to every single secondary and tertiary character present in the film, each and every one delivers with great aplomb.
#ShakespearesShitstorm is, in many ways, a political satire. It’s the side of politics that isn’t often shown in Hollywood or promoted by the major players in the world of cinema–and everything about the film is antagonistic and potentially triggering. Through this demented story of death, destruction, and whale crap, exists a level of cinematic prowess. Aspects of the film like this can easily be overlooked as a result of all that occurs throughout, but the reality is that the filmmakers understand their craft brilliantly. There are a number of eccentric characters present throughout this film, and being able to see them up close and personal allows viewers to better appreciate the intricacies of each unique character.
On the surface, and at a series of junctures throughout the course of #ShakespearesShitstorm, viewers will be forced to question the validity of the film, and if it’s worth watching. There were multiple times when I was unsure of how I felt about the film, and I even went as far as to think that I even hated the finished product. However, you have to give this film a chance. When all is said and done and the film comes to a close, you will look back and understand that everything that went into this film–the writing, acting, cinematography–are top notch. They are well done and appealing to the senses, and #ShakespearesShitstorm is tons of fun, a series of belly laughs, and an all around entertaining shitstorm.
Directed by Lloyd Kaufman.
Written by Brandon Bassham, Lloyd Kaufman, Gabriel Friedman, William Shakespeare, Frazer Brown, Doug Sakmann, & Doug Amico.
Starring Catherine Corcoran, Erin Miller, Abraham Sparrow, Kate McGarrigle, Amanda Fowlers, Lloyd Kaufman, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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