The beauty of a tragic tale is how it takes hold of the heart and refuses to let go. Shakespeare understood that better than anyone.
The grief and mortality that shape the historical novel behind the film draw from Maggie O’Farrell’s own experiences living with the constant danger posed by her daughter’s life-threatening food allergy and anaphylaxis.
Chloé Zhao’s (Nomadland) adaptation of Hamnet understands loss not as something to conquer, but something to carry, with art offering a way to survive it.
When a (spoiler-free) tragedy happens, William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) turns to his work because it is the only place he believes his sorrow can go. Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) endures by refusing to mute her pain or soften it for anyone else.
Jessie Buckley (Women Talking) gives Agnes, known more casually here and historically as Anne Hathaway, a raw and deeply physical presence. Her grief is loud, uncontained and impossible to ignore. Paul Mescal (Normal People, AfterSun) meets her intensity with restraint, playing a man who learns that creating art can both protect him and force him to face what he has lost.
This is not simply a film that “makes you cry.” It is a full sensory passage through love, family and mourning that ultimately opens into something rare and transcendent. Quite poetically, the theater is alive with power here. Hamnet is a story of loss that somehow bursts with life. A reminder that from unbearable grief can come lasting beauty.
In a nutshell: Brilliant. Devastating. Achingly beautiful. A profound act of empathy, Chloé Zhao’s finest work to date and another reminder of why art matters.
Where to see it: In theaters. Don't see it Christmas Day.
Would it be better with Olivia Colman? To thine own self be true.
Award potential: This film will be very competitive with Oscar noms ranging from Picture and Director to Actress and Supporting Actor to Max Richter’s score. It won’t tally as much as Wicked, Sinners and One Battle, which are eligible in everything including song, but it will be a big player in key categories.
When a (spoiler-free) tragedy happens, William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) turns to his work because it is the only place he believes his sorrow can go. Agnes Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley) endures by refusing to mute her pain or soften it for anyone else.
Jessie Buckley (Women Talking) gives Agnes, known more casually here and historically as Anne Hathaway, a raw and deeply physical presence. Her grief is loud, uncontained and impossible to ignore. Paul Mescal (Normal People, AfterSun) meets her intensity with restraint, playing a man who learns that creating art can both protect him and force him to face what he has lost.
This is not simply a film that “makes you cry.” It is a full sensory passage through love, family and mourning that ultimately opens into something rare and transcendent. Quite poetically, the theater is alive with power here. Hamnet is a story of loss that somehow bursts with life. A reminder that from unbearable grief can come lasting beauty.
In a nutshell: Brilliant. Devastating. Achingly beautiful. A profound act of empathy, Chloé Zhao’s finest work to date and another reminder of why art matters.
Where to see it: In theaters. Don't see it Christmas Day.
Would it be better with Olivia Colman? To thine own self be true.
Award potential: This film will be very competitive with Oscar noms ranging from Picture and Director to Actress and Supporting Actor to Max Richter’s score. It won’t tally as much as Wicked, Sinners and One Battle, which are eligible in everything including song, but it will be a big player in key categories.
The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.
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