We’ve seen Shakespeare adaptations in all shapes and sizes, across different settings and timelines. Stylised modernisations are hardly new either. Baz Luhrmann did it rather brilliantly nearly 30 years ago. Yet there’s something strangely wonderful about seeing filmmakers still find ways to make Shakespeare feel relevant. Macbeth in Compton comes from the long tradition of makers making his text their own. Even when those words might fly over many people’s heads.
It was dryly amusing seeing the actors mouth the words of Shakespeare while the subtitles play on making the meaning clearer. Goes to show how challenging making his plays accessible for the modern audience can be.
Macbeth in Compton is a 19-minute short that reimagines the tragedy in the early ’90s, at the height of the hip-hop era. It’s as much a tribute to Shakespeare as it is to hip-hop’s glory days. With the East Coast–West Coast rivalry in full swing. The film even opens with a contrafactum of 2Pac’s “California Love.” Visually, it also evokes John Singleton’s beloved classic Boyz n the Hood.
Much of the short centres on Lady Macbeth manipulating her husband into killing the king. Candice Renée and Page Kennedy make the scene work, while the highly stylised camerawork captures the disorientation and turmoil in Macbeth’s mind as he gradually falls into her trap.
Russell Hornsby is equally memorable as the imposing Duncan, the king Macbeth must kill to claim the throne. Despite his limited screen time, Hornsby conveys the authority of a ruler you wouldn’t want to cross.
Apparently, Page Kennedy made the short as a proof of concept for a planned television series. This explains why it feels somewhat incomplete as a standalone film. Viewed instead as a pilot for a larger story, however, it becomes a much more intriguing proposition. One that leaves you curious about what comes next and hopeful that the series will eventually become a reality.
