Hamnet
Chloé Zhao’s new movie Hamnet is a beautiful and deeply moving adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel. It tells the quiet, heartbreaking story of the death of Shakespeare’s young son and how that loss affects his family.
This is not a loud tragedy; it is slow and crushing sorrow. It seems real and intimate. The actress Jessie Buckley is stunning in this portrayal of Agnes, Shakespeare’s wife. Every look and every gesture she makes conveys the gravity of loss and anger. Paul Mescal is restrained and seething with pain as the young Shakespeare; you can feel the storm raging within him even while he hardly speaks.
The child actors are natural and heartbreaking, not least Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet. The film’s cinematography is gorgeous and the English countryside feels vast and alive, almost majestic, while the family’s small home feels warm yet fragile. The camera lingers on faces and landscapes, allowing the feelings to build slowly. Max Richter’s music is simple, but powerful and by the end almost everyone is crying.
Yes, it’s a tear-jerker, but it deserves every tear. Several passages in the film tip into heavy-handed sadness, yet these don’t spoil the movie. Hamnet is one of the most moving movies in decades. The movie keeps on living with you long after the lights come on. As for Awards: the film and Buckley will be winning many!
10/10
Lead image courtesy of Focus Features
