Film Review: Hamnet
Keep Your Heart Open
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Hamnet. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: The powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
REVIEW
In 2020, Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland broke through as a major festival darling and then swept awards season as arguably the film of that year. It was one of my favorites that year, and out of the nominees, it would’ve been my pick for Best Picture had I been an Academy voter. It spoke to me, and to many others, at a time when we were all grappling with the isolation and loss brought on by the COVID pandemic.
Five years later, Zhao returns with Hamnet, a sharp pivot back to her cinematic bread and butter after helming 2021’s divisive MCU entry Eternals (a film that I thought was much better than many gave it credit for). This time, instead of adapting a nonfiction book about modern nomads traveling the country, she takes on the bestselling novel Hamnet, which crafts a fictional narrative about how William Shakespeare’s grief over losing his son may have inspired Hamlet, all told through the POV of his wife, Agnes.
While the marketing and trailers intrigued me, I’m not going to lie, part of me was baffled as to why a two-plus-hour film about a couple losing their child was sweeping audience awards at festivals. But now that I’ve finally seen it for myself, I get it.
In lesser hands, Hamnet could’ve been a pretentious, drawn-out sob fest. Instead, it becomes so much more. It begins as a romantic love story, folds in familial melodrama, touches on witchcraft lore, adds supernatural and esoteric elements, and ultimately culminates in a final scene that will leave even general audiences moved and in happy tears. This is an auteur film that still feels accessible enough that I could recommend it to my mom.
The hype around Jessie Buckley’s lead performance as Agnes is absolutely warranted. She’s the only actress who gives Cynthia Erivo’s second Elphaba performance a run for her money this year as my favorite lead performance. Buckley shows astonishing range; young love, motherhood, teaching, healing, pain, grief, depression, catharsis. It’s the kind of performance that could go down as one of the greats.
Paul Mescal is, as expected, excellent. As someone who thought last year’s Gladiator II got a raw deal and who was extremely impressed by his work in Aftersun even though I didn’t love the film itself, it’s great to see him once again in strong form, strong enough to be a heavy favorite to land on my Supporting Actor ballot.
The ensemble also features an underrated Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn as family members to Agnes and William, respectively. But the standout scene-stealer might be little Jacobi Jupe as the titular Hamnet. It’s one of the greatest child performances I’ve ever seen; he should be sweeping every young-actor category this year.
If I had any nitpicks, they’d be that the film could arguably be a bit tighter, and the pacing may feel slow for some in a few spots. But personally, I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish. Romance? Witchcraft? The afterlife? Artists shaping stories from their pain? An ending that leaves you fulfilled, happy, and in tears? This truly is a great film, and I think Zhao has outdone even herself here.
But more importantly as someone who is expecting a child early next year, the film also spoke to me in another way. Watching the relationship Agnes and William had with their children made me hope I could be as good a parent as they are shown onscreen to be.
Hamnet is undoubtedly one of the year’s best, and I’m giving it a really strong A-. There’s no question in my mind, compared to other high grades I’ve handed out this year, that this film will show up on my “Best Of” lists and make plenty of categories on my awards ballot.
“TL;DR”
Pros: What could have been a two hour sob fest ends up a very accessible film to all audiences that features romance, familial melodrama, supernatural elements, and ending that will leave everyone in happy tears
Cons: Has its moments where it could’ve perhaps been cut down to be a tad tighter; This will resonate with most audiences but there will be some who might find it too slow in moments
GRADING
