‘R#J’ Review: ‘Romeo & Juliet’ Retold Across Phone Screens [Sundance 2021]
Posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2021 by Ben Pearson
Using the same Screenlife technology that powered films like 2018’s innovative Searching, director Carey Williams reimagines William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet through phone screens and social media accounts in his debut feature R#J. That approach might sound obnoxious, but for the most part, it works surprisingly well. Just as Baz Luhrmann did in 1996 with his stylish Romeo + Juliet, Williams aims to keep the story fresh for the next generation, and despite using Instagram and FaceTime as the key methods of communication between his characters, he’s able to tap into the raw romance at the core of this star-crossed lovers’ tale.
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