Directed By Chloé Zhao; Screenplay By Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell; Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Jacobi Jupe, Olivia Lynes, and Noah Jupe.
Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name. Hamnet is a largely fictional dramatization of the marriage between Agnes Hathaway (Jessie Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). It also explores the impact of the tragic death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) on their relationship, which inspired Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. This is the latest from filmmaker Chloé Zhao. In 2021, she became the very first woman of color to have won a Best Director Oscar for her work on Nomadland. That was a movie I was personally in the “like it, but don’t love it” camp on.
Although here, I was completely won over. Her direction comes off as effective all around. Not only that, but she also provides such unique visuals. On the surface, Łukasz Żal’s cinematography appears to be simple, but still offers several stunning images. Fiona Crombie’s production design and Malgosia Turzanska’s costumes truly bring the renaissance era back to life in stunning fashion. The editing by Zhao along with Affonso Gonçalves is perfectly paced. The movie also features such a soaring musical score from Max Richter.
A lot of the actors manage to very impressively convey so much emotion through their facial expressions alone. Jessie Buckley especially fares the strongest. She goes through a ton of heartbreak over the course of the film, resulting in quite an incredible performance. Although Paul Mescal is quite outstanding as William Shakespeare. As a single man with no kids, I really felt for both of them as they went through all the grief they’ve experienced. Of the supporting cast, Emily Watson is very good as Shakespeare’s mother, Mary. Yet, it is Jacobi Jupe who absolutely steals the show as Agnes and Will’s titular son.
Those going into Hamnet will not be prepared for how emotionally heavy it is. I recently saw someone describe it as Ordinary People set in the Renaissance era, and they couldn’t be more right. A family tragedy that is deeply felt from beginning to end. This is something I like to call the power of cinema!
Rating: 5/5
Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name. Hamnet is a largely fictional dramatization of the marriage between Agnes Hathaway (Jessie Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). It also explores the impact of the tragic death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) on their relationship, which inspired Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. This is the latest from filmmaker Chloé Zhao. In 2021, she became the very first woman of color to have won a Best Director Oscar for her work on Nomadland. That was a movie I was personally in the “like it, but don’t love it” camp on.
Although here, I was completely won over. Her direction comes off as effective all around. Not only that, but she also provides such unique visuals. On the surface, Łukasz Żal’s cinematography appears to be simple, but still offers several stunning images. Fiona Crombie’s production design and Malgosia Turzanska’s costumes truly bring the renaissance era back to life in stunning fashion. The editing by Zhao along with Affonso Gonçalves is perfectly paced. The movie also features such a soaring musical score from Max Richter.
A lot of the actors manage to very impressively convey so much emotion through their facial expressions alone. Jessie Buckley especially fares the strongest. She goes through a ton of heartbreak over the course of the film, resulting in quite an incredible performance. Although Paul Mescal is quite outstanding as William Shakespeare. As a single man with no kids, I really felt for both of them as they went through all the grief they’ve experienced. Of the supporting cast, Emily Watson is very good as Shakespeare’s mother, Mary. Yet, it is Jacobi Jupe who absolutely steals the show as Agnes and Will’s titular son.
Those going into Hamnet will not be prepared for how emotionally heavy it is. I recently saw someone describe it as Ordinary People set in the Renaissance era, and they couldn’t be more right. A family tragedy that is deeply felt from beginning to end. This is something I like to call the power of cinema!
Rating: 5/5