David R. Walker

Hamnet

Director: Chloe Zhao

Cast: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, David Wilmot, Jacobi Jupe, Noah Jupe, Olivia Lynes, Bodhi Rae Breathnach

Running Time: 2 hours and 5 minutes

Film Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Oscar winning director Chloe Zhao weaves her cinematic magic in a beautiful yet gut wrenching masterpiece of a film, Hamnet based upon the acclaimed novel by Maggie O’Farrell and produced by Steven Spielberg, Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes amongst others.

Set in Stratford upon Avon and London, Hamnet traces the early life of William Shakespeare, his courting of the headstrong and pastoral Agnes through their wedding and subsequent birth of their three children. While Will is away in London quietly becoming one of England’s greatest playwrights that ever lived, Agnes is dealing with her three children – Susanna played by Bodhi Rae Breathnach and twins Hamnet, the only boy played by Jacobi Jupe and his sister Judith played by Olivia Lynes.

With an absent father, Agnes in a breath taking performance by Jessie Buckley who deserves every acting accolade under the sun, discovers that Judith the weaker of the twins contracts the pestilence brought to England from Europe in 1596. Her twin brother Hamnet is distraught that his sister is sick but also that his mysteriously brooding and famous father is continually absent. But Shakespeare told Hamnet to be brave.

In an effort to cure his sister of her devastating illness, Hamnet shares a bed with his sick sister.  

There is no greater strain on a marriage than the loss of a child and director Chloe Zhao paints a beautiful portrait of a young couple trying to survive a terrible tragedy. When Agnes is paralyzed by grief, her brother Bartholomew played by Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist) urges his sister to go to London to see what accomplishments young Shakespeare has created. Agnes’s stepmother tells her that Shakespeare has written a new play and it’s not a comedy but a tragedy, a monumental meditation on mortality, betrayal and grief. Hamlet, one of the greatest and most complex plays ever written.

Oscar nominee Paul Mescal (Aftersun) is brilliant as the ambitious and frustrated playwright William Shakespeare who has to sacrifice being with his family in order to achieve literary fame. At the emotional centre of Hamnet is Agnes, a heart wrenching performance by Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter) who is so angry at what the fates have given her, even though her destiny of only having two surviving children is chillingly fulfilled.

On every level Hamnet is a masterpiece from superb performances by the two main leads, to the remarkable young actors including brothers Jacobi Jupe playing young Hamnet and Noah Jupe playing the fictional character of Hamlet to the recreation of the Globe Theatre.

A masterful adaptation of a beautiful novel, Hamnet is an authentic and classic film portraying how grief can tear families apart but how literary success and fame can serve as a method of dealing with such untimely tragedy.

The last half of Hamnet is captivating, from its production design by Fiona Crombie who also did The Favourite to the musical score by Max Richter to the excellent Elizabethan costumes by Malgosia Turzanska.

Hamnet will appeal to lovers of Shakespeare and literary films which are skilfully told. In this case it is the sacrifice of a child that is the origin of a famous tragedy. Hamnet is immersive viewing, extremely sad but absolutely brilliant. Director Chloe Zhao is a master of her craft.

Hamnet gets a film rating of 9.5 out of 10 and is highly recommended for anyone that loves film and theatre. A masterpiece that Shakespeare would be proud of.

Comments are closed.