Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet is not an easy watch — and it isn’t meant to be. This is a hushed, grief-soaked 16th-century love story that sits with sorrow rather than dramatizing it, inviting the audience into a space where silence carries as much weight as dialogue. Nearly two months after its release, I still found myself in a sold-out theater so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Starring Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as Agnes, the film traces their romance, marriage, and family life with their three children — Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith — before centering on the unthinkable loss of their son. A brief title card notes that “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” were interchangeable names at the time, setting the emotional and thematic foundation for what follows.
This is, above all else, Agnes’s story.
Jessie Buckley delivers one of the most powerful performances of the year — honestly, one of the strongest performances from anyone, period. She carries this film on her back. There are at least four scenes where you can practically see an Oscar clip forming in real time: raw, unfiltered grief pouring out of her in waves. Her Agnes is fierce, intuitive, and deeply human — a woman rumored to be the daughter of a witch, gifted with an almost supernatural sensitivity to the people around her.
Zhao leans into symbolism from the very beginning, including an arresting birthing scene in the woods, weaving themes of medicine, death, fate, and purpose throughout the film. Agnes’s spiritual connection to the world contrasts beautifully with William’s restless search for meaning. Mescal is quietly solid here, though his role is more restrained — Shakespeare as a man trying to escape his circumstances, eventually heading to London to find himself through theater and writing.
The child actors deserve real praise, especially the young actor playing Hamnet. The bond between the twins feels genuine and heartbreaking, which makes what comes later all the more devastating.
The film doesn’t rush grief. It sits inside it.
Hamnet’s death is the emotional core of the movie, and Zhao handles it with restraint and respect. Agnes watching her son pass away is a brutal, unforgettable moment, and the ripple effects on both parents feel painfully real. This is a story about how people survive unimaginable loss — how they try to hold families together, how they search for meaning afterward, and where the dead go once they leave us.
Emily Watson is excellent as Mary, William’s mother, providing a grounded emotional counterpoint to Agnes. Joe Alwyn also stands out as Agnes’s brother Bartholomew — understated, stoic, and quietly expressive, continuing his streak of strong supporting performances.
Visually, everything feels authentic to the period. The world looks lived-in, harsh, and fragile — exactly as life would have been in a time without medicine, when children died young and often. Zhao’s direction is confident and intimate, a reminder of how powerful she is when allowed full creative control after being swallowed up by the Marvel machine.
The score is beautiful throughout, but Zhao absolutely sticks the landing by using Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” in the final moments. It’s a devastatingly effective choice — the same track used memorably in Arrival. The instant those first notes hit, the emotional weight multiplies. It’s cinematic shorthand for heartbreak, and it works.
The film closes with Agnes attending a performance of Hamlet, believing it to be a comedy, only to confront her grief in a new way. It’s a quietly stunning ending — less about closure and more about acceptance.
Hamnet isn’t a crowd-pleaser. There are no big moments, no easy catharsis. This is an Oscar movie in the truest sense: contemplative, emotionally demanding, and deeply human. It’s about love, loss, and learning how to let go.
And at the center of it all is Jessie Buckley, delivering a career-best performance that alone makes Hamnet essential viewing.
Hamnet = 77/100
