Michael Almereyda's Cymbeline will be presented at a 10th-anniversary event on May 16.

      Shakespeare adaptations may not guarantee commercial success; asking audiences to engage with a modern interpretation of one of the Bard's less familiar works is a demanding endeavor. Still, it's regrettable that Michael Almereyda’s Cymbeline received so little attention upon its premiere in 2014 and subsequent release the following year. This blend of palace intrigue and star-crossed romance ranks it among Shakespeare’s most captivating plays, and the film’s cast—Dakota Johnson, Ethan Hawke, Penn Badgley, Ed Harris, Milla Jovovich, Anton Yelchin, and Delroy Lindo—offers a perfect combination of committed actors and unique interpretations that align with Almereyda’s vision, which reimagines the Western Canon as a canvas.

      I am therefore excited to present the film at a tenth-anniversary event (we’ll acknowledge its 2015 theatrical release) on Friday, May 16 at the Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research, featuring Almereyda for a post-screening Q&A. There's always an opportunity to hear Milla Jovovich perform an ’80s Bob Dylan song, but perhaps none better than that evening.

      You can purchase tickets here, and the official description is provided below.

      Amnesiascope and the Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research are thrilled to host a special screening of Michael Almereyda’s Shakespeare adaptation Cymbeline, featuring Dakota Johnson, Ethan Hawke, Penn Badgley, Ed Harris, Milla Jovovich, Anton Yelchin, and Delroy Lindo. Almereyda will be available for a Q&A following the film.

      Drawing from Shakespeare’s wonderful (though lesser-known) play, Cymbeline infuses its source material with a modern twist that comments on youth culture, biker gangs, and corrupt law enforcement. While remaining true to the Bard, Almereyda creatively navigates the adaptation's constraints to engage in a grand experiment, presenting Shakespeare in a way that is some of the funniest and most liberated we've seen onscreen.