noFew things induce groans of despair quite like a “modern” Shakespeare performed by teenagers, but this Jamaican shortened version of Romeo and Juliet is beautifully done, emotionally acted and directed in an understated, easy-going style by British-Jamaican director Paul Buckner. Reality TV The film follows kids as they put on Shakespeare at their school. The production seen here is from a winning school and features some performances that rival the pros, delivering the lines with a naturalness and sensitivity that really draws your attention to the lines.
The story begins in a middle school, where an English teacher assigns Romeo and Juliet as homework. One of his students, Dean (Dashawn Miller), keeps busy working at the family food stall while caring for his sick mother. By the time he reads the play, it’s midnight and Dean is half asleep. However, he is captivated by the story and replays it in his head, casting himself as Romeo and leaving the part of the beautiful Juliet to the girl across the street (Shanice Gowan) he has a crush on. His teacher and classmates end up playing the other roles.
Turning Romeo and Juliet into a teenage fantasy is actually genius, because the play is a thoroughly adolescent, melodramatic “me and you melting together” love story. It also hints at a possible happy ending, where Dean escapes the play and returns to reality, with his crush waiting for him backstage. My only complaint is that the romance doesn’t really burn, but the fight between the rival Montagues and Capulets plays out in colorful city streets with reggae music playing. It’s not as loud or choreographed as the traditional one, it feels more like a real teenage brawl, with silly bravado spiraling out of control. And no other Shakespeare line says, “I heard you cook a nice jerk chicken leg.”
