The latest adaptation of Shakespeare’s most famous of tragedies, Macbeth, from director Justin Kurzel, is a grimly tense two hours of stunning visuals and ominous sound. Led by the effortlessly magnificent Michael Fassbender, it’s a harrowing masterpiece centered, unlike many Shakespearean adaptations, on visuals instead of dialogue. Marion Cotillard’s Lady Macbeth is equally magnetic, often using only expression to convey a thousand meanings with few words; together, the pair’s chemistry adds depth to the murderous ambitions of the Scottish general and his wife.

Although visually stunning, the film is often hard to enjoy. It’s not for the casual viewer, yet surprisingly, the Shakespearean dialogue is not the barrier in Kurzel’s adaptation. Instead, it’s the bleak atmosphere and gruesome scenes of violence that don’t make for easy viewing. The heavy tone is established from the first scene, which opens with the funeral of Macbeth’s infant son, a scene of raw emotion that fuels the murderous ambition of Lady Macbeth. Kurzel’s three witches, with their accompanying baby and child, seem to be a visual representation of Lady Macbeth’s grief over her own childlessness. Her character is refreshingly easy to sympathise with, and in a break from what was typical of earlier adaptions, isn’t demonised as the catalyst for Macbeth’s murderous plot.

Integral to Kurzel’s vision of Macbeth is the sceneryː filmed on the Isle of Skye, the atmosphere of the eerie mountain landscape adds to the authenticity of the film. Throughout, scenes of gruesome violence are followed by rolling shots of the breathtaking Scottish Highlands, the juxtaposed visuals reflecting Macbeth’s internal struggle over the prophecy, and showcasing Kurzel’s talent for using the environment to convey meaning. Whether it’s a cut to a shot of sinister mountains, or the foreboding castle itself, each use of landscape builds upon the film’s already tense atmosphere.

Macbeth is without doubt beautifully made, and at times it’s easy to be swept away by the incredible, rawly realistic visual effects. Fassbender and Cotillard’s performances are not only impressive but subtle even when dealing with the heavier dialogue, and the supporting cast are equally spectacular. Yet, when leaving the cinema it’s hard not to feel emotionally drained, and the film’s oppressive tension follows you for hours after. Although the story of Macbeth is hardly light-hearted, the combination of dark imagery and the drawn-out suspense of an impressively and equally dark soundscape leaves no room to relax, so that while the film succeeds in its aesthetic aspirations, it fails in being accessible to everyone – Shakespeare lover or not.

Lucy Parsons

Image: Studiocanal