“Hamnet” (2025)
Due to where my head’s at right now, this review is going to be more like a personal essay.
I knew when I felt my phone buzzing in the middle of “Hamnet” that it was my mom calling to to tell me my uncle, her eldest brother, had died.
This subconscious awareness of what was happening in my own life, my knowledge of the real life grief in William Shakespeare’s life (due to a lifelong obsession) and the beautifully heartwrenching tale from Chloé Zhao, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Jacobi Jupe and the rest all converged to make this one of the most cathartic moviegoing experiences I’ve ever had.
“Hamnet” tells the story of Shakespeare’s personal life mostly through the experiences of his wife, Agnes (a.k.a. Anne). Seeing Mescal’s Will play second fiddle to Buckley’s Agnes wasn’t entirely what I was expecting from “Hamnet,” but it is really effective here, due in large part to the tour de force performance from Buckley as Shakespeare’s witchy wife.
The story revolves around their relationship, starting with their first meeting, their courtship, their marriage and the arrival of their three children.
A lot of people know the grief the Shakespeare family experienced, but a lot of people don’t and I am not going to spoil it.
This grief plays out in several ways for our two main characters and threatens to tear them apart.
The final act of this film is utterly compelling, both from the perspective of a Shakespeare nerd seeing the origins of one of his most renowned plays AND just the brilliant ways it is brought to life with our two leads looking on.
The score, the costumes, the set design, the cinematography, the editing, the performances — every component that makes a good film great — come together to make this my new favorite film of 2025.
Much like Zhao’s 2020 film “Nomadland” hit me like a ton of bricks, this did, too. So many little and big moments in the last half of “Hamnet” made me well up, overcome with emotion.
As I said up top, I might have been a little more prone to it than others (especially considering the other five losses I’ve had this year), but judging from some reactions I heard and saw around me, I was not the only one moved by this beautiful film.
Not only is it a truly beautiful story, “Hamnet” is beautifully shot. The cinematography made me want to live in this lush countryside with these tender people.
Grief, as I’ve learned this year, can come in waves and is different for every person, and “Hamnet” really explores all the dimensions grief can take on. Buckley embodies this so well in her performance, better than I’ve seen on screen in a long time, possibly ever.
Her performance is worth the price of admission, and much like “Eternity,” “Hamnet” is very worth seeking out as an alternative to the sequels dominating the box office this holiday season. It comes out in limited release this week before expanding wider on December 5.
I highly recommend seeking out “Hamnet.” The film and most of the creatives involved, including Zhao and Buckley, deserve every single award and accolade they’ll be given this awards season.