3 minutes of readingUpdated: February 6, 2026 09:18 am IST
Scarlett movie review: The animated fantasy Scarlet, directed by Mamoru Hosoda, is an ambitious attempt at creating an epic experience in which the tragic story of Hamlet is given an even darker twist. In this time-bending drama, Princess Scarlet is an expert swordsman from the medieval era on a mission to avenge her father’s death. Turning the protagonist into an angry princess who fights against pain and rage gives the narrative a strong and avant-garde emotional core.
In addition to the original work, Scarlet’s opening scenes take place in Denmark in the 16th century. King Amleth, Scarlet’s father, who is against the wars, is branded a “traitor” by his brother Claudius (Koji Yakusho) and executed. Scarlet swears revenge, but poisoned by Claudio, she awakens in the Otherworld.
All the people around her in the Otherworld are dead and trying to find their way to eternity. There, Scarlet meets the idealistic Hijiri, a modern-day young doctor, who helps her heal. Thus, it shows him the possibility of a future free of bitterness. However, when she is reunited with her father’s killer, Scarlet must choose between revenge and breaking the cycle of hate.
The script, written by Hosoda, reinterprets Shakespeare’s play in an aesthetically stunning setting. It creates several surprising dramatic moments: from Amleth being denounced as a traitor and executed, to a furious Scarlet, on horseback and sword in hand, attacking her opponents. The film’s narrative unfolds on a massive canvas, with Scarlet crossing timelines as she explores themes of guilt, obsession and rage.
What seems magnificent in Hosoda’s latest feature film, nominated for an Oscar for Mirai (2018), also works against it. While the film’s detailed aesthetic, which combines traditional hand-drawn animation with 3D CG, is brilliant, the intense narrative feels cluttered with too many elements.
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However, what remains in the public’s memory of the film, which was an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), is the depiction of a strong and complex female protagonist, driven by love, pain, trauma and rage. Even though the film spends most of its running time thinking about how he copes with his tremendous loss and betrayal, the film offers him a chance to heal. While retribution remains its dominant theme, Scarlet veers its story toward forgiveness.
Director of the film Scarlet: Mamoru Hosoda
Scarlet cast: Mana Ashida, Masaki Okada, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Tokio Emoto, Munetaka Aoki, Shota Sometani
Scarlet classification: 2 and a half stars
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