Based on Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel imagining William Shakespeare's family, Hamnet is nothing short of stunning.

 

Directed by Chloé Zhao, Hamnet is visually beautiful. The story is on the move immediately, drawing you in from its opening scene with a level of strangeness and mystery that has you feeling like you're halfway between fiction and non-fiction.

 

William (Paul Mescal) is a Latin tutor drawn in by Agnes (Jessie Buckley), an outcast that society has deemed as some kind of forest witch. Despite his own position, he pursues Agnes and they create their own family. Their beloved children Susanna, Judith and Hamnet lean into their mother's reverance for nature while their father spends time away trying to become a writer.

 

Hamnet is far more heart-wrenching that one would predict. It's such a stunning story with the right amount of other-worldliness - mysterious without alienating the audience. The story is emotional and full of beauty and sorrow. Jessie Buckley is mesmerizing as Agnes, tortured by life in many different ways. And Paul Mescal is an equally moving scene partner, connecting audiences with the lesson that tragedy can become art.

 

A beautiful and triumphant film that will bring tears to all theatres.