While alone in the woods, Agnes (Jesse Buckley) asks Will (Paul Mescal) to tell her a story to which he asks “What story would you like?”.
“Something that moves you”.
With Hamnet, Chloe Zhao has created a beautifully moving depiction of grief and the healing, communal power of art. It's a tear jerker that some may pessimistically label as “Oscar Bait” but it deserves all the praise it gets.
Based on the novel of the same name by Maggie O’Farrell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Zhao, Hamnet depicts the real-life tragedy of the loss of William’s Shakespeare’s son, that inspired the creation of one Shakespeare’s greatest plays.
Will, a latin tutor, follows Agnes into the woods where she is summoning her Hawk. The two fall in love and soon Agnes is pregnant. Despite his family’s disdain, Will intends to marry Agnes, and with the blessing of her brother, Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn), he does so. Several years later, Will and Agnes are now expecting their third child - although it turns out to be twins.
A common theme throughout many of the characters is a sense of trauma in some form or another and soon enough Will and Agnes’ new family suffer a tragedy of their own. It almost becomes uncomfortable to watch as Buckley brutally depicts the agonising desperation that can only come from losing a child.
Buckley will deservingly get critical praise for her performance here but a special mention must go to Bodhi Rae Breathnach as Suzanna, Olivia Lynes as Judith and Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet, as each of them are as impressive as the other in their performances while contributing as much as Buckley and Mescal to the on-screen family chemistry.
Emily Watson is also brilliant as Will’s mother, Mary. Initially distant with Agnes, her character’s own grief brings them closer, as if grief is the great leveller among all humans. Its here where the film begins to show us how grief can stay with us and how it can shape our future, but also how art can be an outlet for pain.
Because it deals with such traumatic themes, this is a real tear-jerker. Made ever more effective by the realism that Zhao employs in tandem with the natural cinematography of Lukasz Zal wherein characters are often seemingly lit by only natural daylight or candlelight. Consequently, the film feels so raw and intimate to the point where it borders on voyeurism.
The name “Shakespeare” isn’t mentioned until just before the film’s climax - and for good reason. It would be great if more people are inspired to revisit Shakespeare’s works but this isn’t a biopic. In fact, I quite like the idea of a moviegoer being unaware that Will is in fact William Shakespeare as other than serving as a plot twist, this would underscore the importance of stories as a means of expression by an artist rather than being distracted by a recognisable name.
Instead, “Hamnet” champions the communal healing power of art. It shows how one family’s tragedy which is usually seen as something very private, can become a universal story that we all recognise and can relate to on some level.
When Will tells Agnes a story that moves him, he stops staring at the ground and is finally able to speak to her with ease and without averting his gaze. At this point, it must be their longest continuous conversation. It’s the story that allows him to express himself.
Zhao encourages us to look at the movie, and art in general, as a necessity rather than mere entertainment. The film feels so intimate and personal because that’s what art is. As humans, we have a need to tell stories, a need for self-expression through forms other than spoken word conversations. It's a reminder of the power of stories that move us.
★★★★★
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