Movie Review – Hamnet

In Hamnet, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal play William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes. Her mother was, for lack of a better word in the standards of that era, a witch. She taught Agnes holistic remedies and to listen to nature. As an adult, Agnes believed two children would be with her at her death bed because that was what she foresaw. When she had three, she thought maybe her sight was wrong. But it wasn’t wrong and her son, Hamnet, dies of fever. William often spent time in London so he was away when the death occurred. This causes a riff between the two and it takes Agnes finally seeing one of his plays to bring them back together. The play was Hamlet.

Director Chloe Zhao gives us a piece of cinematic art filled with love, grief, and everything in between. All of what makes us human is on full display to a point where it’s easy to forget that it’s about the most famous playwright in history. It humanizes the man behind the name, and gives new perspective to his most revered play. She uses imagery and music to her advantage to deliver a beautiful film.

Jessie Buckley, as always, is so very immersed in her character that it draws the viewer into her world. She is pure magic here, playing mother and wife as the main character in Shakespeare’s life. Paul Mescal has none of the bravado he carried in Gladiator 2 but brings something different. His heartbreaking turn as the father who loses his son and uses his writing to deal with his grief as a true artist does is hard to look away from. Perfect performances each, but it’s Buckley that shines brightest.

This film, though heartbreaking, is a breath of fresh air in a world of biopics that always seem too big for themselves. Hamnet takes the fame out of the writer and makes him human. Someone we can sympathize with. It’s an intimate take on a small part of his life, and that is the film’s greatest success.

4.5 out of 5 stars. Bring tissues.