I rarely watch a movie and immediately think, “I just witnessed a masterpiece.” This may sound like an exaggeration, but I felt overwhelmingly moved by Hamnet. The film has been on my radar for a while because the book has remained on my to-be-read list for years. Then I saw that Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley were cast as the leads.
Mescal is one of my favorite young actors. He has delivered numerous majestic performances. I also find Buckley mesmerizing on screen. Therefore, I was extremely excited to watch Hamnet at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival. I didn’t expect it to move me so much and offer such a profound discussion on life and art.
Warning: Hamnet spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
I Can’t Stop Thinking About How Hamnet Explores Art As A Way Of Atonement
Hamnet tells the story of grief. It’s one of the most soul-crushing depictions of it on film. You grieve right along with Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and Will (Paul Mescal), because the film effortlessly enthrals you as you take the journey with the Shakespeares. Hamnet’s (Jacobi Jupe) death is foretold even before the story begins, but it still creates an overpowering sense of sadness.
I credit Buckley’s performance with the success of this film. Agnes’ pain becomes our pain; We grieve along with her, and we also resent William. He chooses his art over his family, at least that’s how it feels upon his return after Hamnet’s death. Agnes sends a sort of venomous rage towards William that makes you fear that the family cannot recover from this loss.
Then Hamlet happens. William pours all his grief, regrets, anguish, and remorse into this play. It allows him to atone for his missteps with his family. To apologize to Agnes and Hamnet for not being there when they needed him the most. The final scenes are transformative. You feel every bit of heartache and healing in the performance of the play. You see William ask for forgiveness in it, and how Agnes accepts.
It’s a moment more humbling, beautiful, and loving than any moment in some of the best romantic movies. I left the film feeling a grief so alive, but mended at the end. Will earns his atonement.
I Love How The Film Takes The Romantic Approach Of Saying Hamlet Is A Way To Immortalize Hamnet
Edmund Spencer’s poem “Amoretti LXXV: One Day I Wrote her Name” is one that I often think about because I find the concept of immortalizing a loved one through writing extremely romantic and loving. Therefore, when Hamnet makes this a key point to the story, I couldn’t help but cheer. We don’t know if anything in the movie comes even close to the truth, but it’s a nice idea. I love the concept that Shakespeare created Hamlet as a way to honor his son.
We see how much Hamnet wants to work with his father, so it’s beautiful to watch him become this timeless fictional character. Shakespeare bestows one of the greatest acts of love on his son by giving him immortality. As long as people perform the play, no one can ever forget him. We know it’s one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, and a period piece that constantly reinvents itself. Hamnet will be reborn for eternity.
The Film Really Moved Me By Saying How Art Can Be An Act Of Grief
Just as much as Hamnet allows Will to atone, it grants him the ability and space to grieve. He comes off cold at times after his son’s death. It feels like he pulls further away from his family and closer to his work. Agnes grows bitter towards him. Then, she finally sees his grief on stage. Viewers also actually see him physically grieve as William finally gets his moment of cathartic relief.
Grief is something that many works of art tackle (and many do it well), but Hamnet consumes you. It’s a movie that affects your mood. And those are some of the most heartbreaking and metamorphic films. I have seen many movies that evoke strong emotions, but very few that have made me grieve and recover from it in the span of the movie’s runtime.
The act of grieving is something everyone experiences in many ways. Films capture it, but it is not easy to take an audience on a journey with it alongside the characters. I went in excited for the film. Then went through all the stages of loss, and finally awe through the introduction of the play. That’s how this movie reminds me of the power of captivating art: It can alter emotions, make you meditate on life, and experience despair and beauty at the same time.
I Didn’t Know Much About The History Of Hamlet, But Now I Want To Reread It And Learn More
I have read most of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, and Hamlet has never been one of my favorites. I am, personally, a Macbeth lover, with Othello being a second favorite. However, I immediately thought, “Maybe it’s time I reread Hamlet.” I believe I only read it once in high school, but I have read Othello and Macbeth several times. This could be why I connect with them more, or the story of Hamlet just doesn’t resonate or entertain me.
Now, having this fictional idea of it being about his son, I wonder if I will enjoy the play more. I may even try to see a local performance. It doesn’t matter to me the truth behind the creation of it, because Hamnet has become my truth. I want to see how Agnes and William’s son comes across in those pages.
I Think Hamnet Kind Of Dissects The Idea Of The Genius, Larger Than Life Artist, And Makes William Shakespeare Feel Real And Human
Hamnet is Agnes’s story. Director Chloe Zhao gives her all the care and attention she deserves. I am sure Maggie O’Farrell’s book version breathes such vibrant life into Agnes that it would be hard not to tell her story well. However, because Zhao is such a brilliant female director, I think she was able to translate this character on screen better than most male directors could and should.
This is Agnes’s story, so she anchors Hamnet, but William plays a vital role and feels fully developed. However, we all know Shakespeare as this larger-than-life figure and genius. The movie makes him Will. He’s a man with all the flaws of men. Theoretically, you know Shakespeare was just a man, but his work has made him a legend; he’s almost a mythical creature at this point. This story reminds you of his humanity.
Every great and powerful man is or was just a man. That shouldn’t be some major revelation, but it felt like one.
Hamnet was one of the 2025 movies that I couldn’t wait to watch, and it didn’t disappoint.