Joel Coen, channeling his inner Ingmar Bergman, has made what I can with no hyperbole whatsoever say is quite possibly both the highest quality film of the year and cinematic Shakespearean adaptation ever. As a work of art, it is truly phenomenal on all levels - from its stunning cinematography to its gripping performances to its impeccable sets, production, and sound design.

But it's Shakespeare, and as such is mostly like watching a movie in a foreign language to me. Luckily, Macbeth is such famous piece of work that I know the major beats and was able to follow along well because of that, and I do think the staging of the film does as good of a job of conveying the story tone, mood, and direction as best you can when the dialogue isn't always understandable.

There are always a handful of award contenders every year that challenge me because they are so clearly fantastic efforts in filmmaking but just don't connect with me emotionally to register as a favorite or re-watchable. That's where I find myself when it comes to "The Tragedy of Macbeth". It is an undeniable aural and visual feast. I'll have zero complaints with any award wins coming its way. I do wish that I understood it more clearly from scene-to-scene, though. I suppose that's on me for not wanting to study/learn Shakespeare more, but with that reality in mind, this is likely as good as it can possibly get.

2021 Awards Cycle Ranked

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