A Caribbean Dream (2016)

Shakespeare adaptations come in all shapes and sizes, from lavish Hollywood productions to spare theatrical recordings, but A Caribbean Dream takes one of the more distinctive approaches you are likely to come across: a relocation of A Midsummer Night's Dream to Barbados, timed to coincide with the island's Crop Over festival. The film was released in 2016 as a co-production between the United Kingdom and Barbados under the banner of Caribbean Film Productions Ltd., and it runs a trim 82 minutes. The source material, one of Shakespeare's most frequently staged comedies, concerns a wedding, a group of quarrelling lovers, and a band of mischievous fairy folk whose interference sends everyone into a night of romantic confusion and chaos. Transplanting that premise to the Caribbean, with its own rich folklore traditions and a setting that lends the supernatural elements a very different cultural flavour, gives the whole thing a personality that purely stage-bound versions rarely manage. It is the sort of creative gamble that can feel gimmicky on paper but occasionally produces something genuinely fresh.

The film is directed by Shakirah Bourne, a Barbadian filmmaker, and represents a confident piece of work in terms of its sense of place. The principal cast includes Ahwe Birdman, Mikkel Bobby, Aden Gillett, Adrian Green, and Susannah Harker, a mix of local and British talent that mirrors the film's dual nationality. Harker, a familiar face from British television and film, brings a certain polish to the production, while the local cast ground it in the island's own performance traditions. Keeping the original Shakespearean dialogue while setting the action in a contemporary Caribbean context creates an interesting tension throughout, one that either works for you or doesn't depending on your tolerance for that kind of contrast. For viewers who enjoy other films that play with folklore and the fantastical, it sits in similar territory to Viy or The Snow Woman, though its tone is considerably lighter than either of those. And if romance is your primary draw, you might find it worth comparing notes with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, another romance that uses a visually striking landscape as an active part of its storytelling.

A-Z World Movie Tour Barbados I'd never seen A Midsummer Nights dream so I had nothing to compare it to. My girlfriend has seen a few versions and she it's one of the better adaptations she's seen. Honestly it was pretty fun. Genuinely funny at times. Refreshing to hear the Barbados accent speaking in traditional Shakespearian English. The setting was beautiful being that it's literally paradise. I didn't think much of the story but I've since heard this is one of the lesser Shakespeare stories. Either way a solid effort.

And I think that more or less covers it. There is something genuinely appealing about a film that does not take itself too seriously, gets a few real laughs out of you, and leaves you with a sense of somewhere vivid and specific rather than a generic backdrop. Whether the source material is among Shakespeare's strongest is almost beside the point here. For me, the film's charm lies in the combination of its setting and the sheer oddness of hearing that cadence of Elizabethan English spoken in a Barbadian accent, which is precisely as enjoyable as it sounds. If the story itself does not linger, the atmosphere does. Sometimes that is enough.

Rating: ★★½  | Year: 2016  | Watched: 2025-05-29

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Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for A Caribbean Dream (2016) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Rent: Amazon Video
Buy: Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: IndiePix Unlimited Amazon Channel
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store
Physical: Amazon US

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