Hamnet tells the tale of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley) as they meet, fall in love and grow a family together. While Shakespeare is an upcoming playwright, this film is about Agnes and her experience of her life with William and the highs and lows of motherhood. The result is a tender and lush drama that gets into the uncomfortable parts of 16th Century life, while also celebrating the eternal power of art and the emotions it creates in us.
A whole review could be made about the power of the performances. I want to first highlight the titular Hamnet played by Jacobi Jupe, the brother of Noah Jupe (who also plays Hamlet in this film). Jacobi is effortlessly charming in this role as Agnes’ only son giving an amazing emotional performance as he brings the whimsy and embodies child grief so effectivly. Jessie Buckley could be said to be the original manic pixie dream girl. She layers the magic that her presence seems to give off and the heartache she goes through. She does a masterful job running the gauntlet of emotions, being both heartbreaking to watch, funny to watch and endearing as the romantic interest of Shakespeare. As the bard, Mescal gives a more subtle performance but one that is nonetheless powerful. He is a Shakespeare unable to properly articulate his emotions. He clearly only finds his perfect way to communicate in his art, creating a powerful final sequence that brings the whole film together.
Chloe Zhao’s direction here is immaculate, a masterclass in framing and camera movement. She always uses the edge of the frame to symbolize the way that the character try to leave or exit the situation they are in. This creates great meaning in the most dramatic of scenes as both Agnes and Shakespeare try to escape the sadness of their situations or are forced to leave. And it has an immaculate use of music. Without question, Hamnet is a beautiful film that had our theatre in tears.
Hamnet is playing at TIFF ’25. For more information, click here.
