“Since no man, if aught he leaves, knows, what is it to leave betimes? Let be.” (William Shakespeare, Hamlet)

Directed by Chloe Zhao, Hamnet transports the viewer to the time of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) as he and his wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley), attempt to build a life together. Struggling to make ends meet, William takes a job in the city to help pay the bills, leaving Agnes to feel the increasing pressure of being a single mother much of the time. When tragedy strikes, their grief drives a wedge between them that feels insurmountable. However, the ensuing process will lead to the development of Shakespeare’s most iconic work of art, Hamlet.

There’s no question that Shakespeare remains one of history’s most influential writers. But Hamnet wants to take the viewer beyond the legendary author’s text. Instead, this is meant to explore what brought one of his most iconic works to fruition. It’s an emotional ride into the psychology of a family struggling to hold it together.

4238_D045_00238_R
Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Featuring stunning cinematography and memorable characters, Hamnet takes its time with its narrative. In doing so, it allows the film to invest its runtime into the deepening of the relationship between his central couple before things unravel between them. And, for a director who revels in quiet moments like Zhao, this sort of slow burn, dramatic storytelling fits right within her wheelhouse.

Having said this, however, one could also argue that the script’s first half may come across as tepid. While Zhao has created compelling character interactions, much of that lies in the film’s second portion. During the first hour, her focus on romance between her leads requires patience. Despite great work from Buckley and Mescal, these moments can leave the viewer cold until things pick up tremendously in the latter half of the film.

Even so, Hamnet remains elevated by some absolutely stellar work by its two leads. As Agnes, Buckley offers some of the most challenging emotional heavy-lifting of the year. Having previously been nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Buckley has continued to build up a career of strong work and Hamnet allows her to show her range. In some moments, she is filled with joy as she revels in her new love. In others, she is drenched in grief, looking for any source of light to give her hope.

4238_D024_00061_RC
Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes and Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

Yet, while Buckley is getting well-deserved attention for her work here, it might be Mescal who delivers the film’s best performance. As the emotionally distant Shakespeare, Mescal imbues his character with a repressed but furious intensity. Without giving spoilers, we can see the devastating effects of his own suffering yet he has no way to truly express himself.

His pain is trapped with no escape.

And that’s the genuine power of Hamnet. Zhao uses this Shakespeare-in-love storyline to explore the complexities of grief. After their family begins to spiral downward, each moment feels pregnant with wildly contradictory feelings. Rage, love, distance, joy and, above all else, sadness are all featured as William and Agnes attempt to navigate their new reality. There’s an ebb and flow to their emotions that feels entirely authentic.

And it’s worth noting that Hamnet does an exceptional job of examining the uncommon story of male grief. Frankly, in these sorts of stories, male characters are rarely depicted well. Unable to tap into their own emotions, men are often portrayed as insensitive clods or, worse, abusive monsters. Yet, here, William is shown to be a man who walks that fine line between emotional breakdown and masculine stoicism.

HAMNET_FP_00002_R
Paul Mescal stars as William Shakespeare in director Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

He’s a good man… but he doesn’t know how to be one that feels.

And that inability for genuine self-expression leads to a fascinating conversation surrounding the importance of the arts. Here, Shakespeare’s ability to communicate through his writing offers him that lens through which he can connect with the world (and himself). There’s freedom from his prison of emotion within the spoken word. And that, somehow, adds extra meaning to the work that we already know and love.

In the end, it’s hard not to see the beauty of Hamnet. Backed by incredible work from Mescal and Buckley, Zhao has painted a picture of grief and healing that is remarkably engaging, especially in the film’s second half.

Hamnet is available in theatres on Wednesday, November 26th, 2025.