Hamnet Movie Review

An opening scroll tells you that the names “Hamnet” and “Hamlet” were interchangeable at the period this is set in, which is a little sneak that may help you comprehend where this film is going, overall.​
This story is about the inspiration of Hamlet and it’s, at times, profound. I’ve never seen or read Hamlet now, I think I’ve been missing out.

Written and directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), co-written and based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell. “Hamnet” tells of love and loss, primarily through the eyes and experiences of Agnes Hathaway, the wife of William Shakespeare, played by “Wicked Little Letters” actress Jessie Buckley. Agnes is remarkable in the ways of the herbs and the supernatural, palm reading, and such. She’s formidable enough to show the association she has with nature to Will and not worry what he or anyone else will think. She works with herbs to help heal anyone who needs them, especially family. When she and Will (Paul Mescal from “Gladiator II” and “The History of Sound”) first meet, she likes him right away. He’s handsome and intelligent, so why wouldn’t she? She tells him she’s the daughter of a forest witch. Did she try to scare him off at first? I didn’t work if she was. Please pay attention to the remarks she makes about things she sees for his future. They may come into play later.

When they marry, she does worry about her in-laws, who don’t appreciate anything they view as the occult done in their home, but not enough to stop, because the one thing they cannot complain about is her deep affection for her and Wills’ children. She’ll do whatever it takes to care for them. Will gets a job in London, and she takes care of everyone without question. Loss hits them early, and you see the parental dedication she gives to a man who doesn’t seem to give it back. She doesn’t know much of his life in London, is curious about what he’s up to, but not enough to find out. When there has been too much sorrow in their lives, by way of the death of their son Hamnet from the pestilence, she finally makes her way to see his life beyond her and their two daughters. One daughter was ill, but Hamnet, played by young Jacobi Jupe, very good at his craft, takes the sickness from her. She, Judith, played by another good young actor, Olivia Lynes, is his twin, and he doesn’t want her to suffer. He breathes for her and says to her that he’ll give her his life and be brave in doing it. These scenes are extraordinary, and it’s his humanity, love, and altruism that this story is truly about, not anything else, no matter what the poster image may be trying to sell you.

She’s about to see one of Will’s plays, Hamlet. What she sees are heartbreaking scenes of her son. Hamlet looks like her boy, all grown up, something she never got to see. The actor on stage was perfectly cast. By the way, Hamlet is played by Jacobi’s older brother, Noah Jupe, which I love. To her, he is her son, aged beyond what he ever got to be. The pain of his death haunts her with every word the actor utters. As the play goes on, she’s starting to see that Will has pain, too. Pain he doesn’t express to her, instead, working it all out on his stage.

This movie is memorable, vivid, and touching. There’s a lot of clever cinematography that helps bring about effective storytelling. Not a lot of chemistry between Buckley and Mescal, but that could be because, even in the worst of times, you rarely see them together. It takes about a third of the way through the movie to really pick up, but when it does, you are watching this tragedy unfold, frozen in your seat. The score is brilliant, Buckley will get the nomination for Best Actress, if not the win. I’m thinking the win. Mescal will most likely get a nomination, as well. As far as Best Picture is concerned, you can bet that it will be nominated; there may not be anything that can beat it, but it moves at a snail’s pace at first, which doesn’t help it any.

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