Hamnet: To Grieve or Not To Grieve, That Is the Question

One of this year’s leading Oscar contenders, Hamnet powerfully shows how art can heal.

The film traces the love story of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, who’s dogged by rumors that she’s the daughter of a forest witch. Regardless, the couple marries and raises three children, including the film’s title character. When Hamnet dies of the plague, Shakespeare channels his grief into the story of the Prince of Denmark.

Director Chloé Zhao lovingly brings Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling book to the screen. The movie is an emotional roller coaster, but its pacing remains swift.

The heart of the film is Jessie Buckley, who’s brilliant as Agnes. She expresses the pain and pathos of losing a child before allowing herself to feel joy again at the climactic performance of Hamlet. (Side note: check out other great Buckley performances in The Lost Daughter, Women Talking, and Wicked Little Letters)

Paul Mescal is every bit Buckley’s equal as Shakespeare, showing the Bard’s enormous talent and inner turmoil.

Hamnet easily could’ve tipped into melodrama or soap opera, but it perfectly walks that tightrope, making it one of the year’s best movies.