I have seen many interpretations of Village — different actors who interpret Shakespeare's iconic story in both theater and film formats. But Grand Theft Village offers something I've never seen before, which is a production of the play set in the world of GTA online. However, the upcoming film is not just a recreation of the play within the game; It is actually a documentary about the staging and organization of the project, which required a lot of work.
Co-directed by the British couple Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, the former a documentary filmmaker and the latter an actor, Grand Theft Village It arose due to the pandemic. With the world in various states of lockdown and quarantine, and Crane out of work as an actor given the whole situation, the pair turned to video games as a venue to perform a play and filmed this documentary about the process.
The result seems hilarious and extremely serious at the same time, as the trailer makes very clear. The strange project keeps getting interrupted by other players, and yet what's heartwarming is how many other players have decided to help make it happen, despite the inherent difficulties of the environment. This is the kind of weird art project I love to see.
Grand Theft Village will hit theaters on January 17 and will stream on Mubi at a future date.