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05 Jan 26
Director Release Date |
Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn |
Certificate Running Time |
From The Rider to the Oscar-winning Nomadland, we can always count on director Chloé Zhao for graceful, compassionate and gut-wrenching storytelling. Her latest, Hamnet, is a showstopper, set to be one of awards season's major players. Earth-shattering and uplifting in one fell swoop, it's a spectacular storm of emotion that will have your heart aching for the little-known historical figure of Hamnet, William Shakespeare's son.
Based on the novel of the same name by Maggie O'Farrell, Hamnet casts Paul Mescal as the revered playwright, but before he becomes Shakespeare as we know him. In 16th century rural England, Will is a penniless Latin tutor yearning to leave his family home, where he is at the mercy of his father's tempestuous moods. Meanwhile, Agnes – a magnificent, mesmerising Jessie Buckley – is the local wild child, a gifted falconer, gardener and divinator. When their paths collide, Will is enchanted.
Their star-crossed romance leads to the arrival of three children: Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) and twins Judith (Olivia Lynes) and Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe). But, as Will buckles under the strain of fatherhood, the siren call of London's Globe theatre spells trouble for this blissful family set-up. Tragedy strikes, pushing his and Agnes' relationship to the brink and serving as the inspiration for one of his greatest works. Buckley (known for raw, impassioned performances in Women Talking and Wild Rose) is superb as a mother torn apart by misfortune, surely making her a front- runner in the Best Actress race.
When the film premiered earlier this year in Telluride it was met with rave reviews, later making Zhao the first to win TIFF People's Choice Award twice. It's not only Zhao and O'Farrell's sparkling, emotionally resonant script and its two stellar leads that elevate this filmic tour de force. (Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes are among the producers). As it creeps towards its emotional crescendo, Hamnet is powered by shiver-inducing performances across the board from Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves), Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist, The Favourite) and its younger stars.
Carefully rooted in the untamed Elizabethan countryside by production designer Fiona Crombie (The Favourite), Hamnet seasons a harrowing but tender love story with magical, otherworldly touches. Matching the mastery of Shakespeare is no easy feat but Zhao fiercely rises to the challenge. The result is a mighty meditation on collective grief and art's power to heal. Its cast and crew deserve boundless curtain calls.
Miriam Balanescu
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