Hamnet and Hamlet are variations of the same name in this biographical film about love and loss.
Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and Will Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) must continue with life in their 16th century England after a devastating occurrence.
Life offers little pause for personal torment. Agnes has to continue looking after her children and William must continue working.
Unfortunate for his family that Will’s work is in London, away from home.
It is no spoiler telling that their 11-year-old son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe, younger brother of Noah Jupe) dies of the bubonic plague in 1596.
That is known history. The sad passing of young Hamnet encourages William Shakespeare to write and stage Hamlet, thus transforming his sorrow into art.
However, the 2020 Maggie O’Farrell novel and screenplay by Chloé Zhao and O’Farrell are historical fiction, imagining the family’s private torment and focusing on Anne Hathaway, sometimes referred to as Agnes and portrayed as Agnes in the film.
The film will take you on an emotional journey.
It is a powerful experience. Stick with the picture. Be aware of the film’s pacing. It’s deliberately slow. Pauses and silences contain substance. Expect some occasional smiles and gentle laughs, but don’t expect any off-kilter action sequences.
There’s a devastating realisation of grief which is never softened or romanticised, but presented as something abrasive and harmful, an emotion for which no cure exists.
It all leads to a radical change of character and your trying to hold back tears during the premiere performance of Hamlet, the titular role played by Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place, 2018, A Quiet Place Part II, 2020).
It isn’t a wonder that after Hamlet Shakespeare’s later dramas were laden with sorrow: Othello, Coriolanus, King Lear.
Visually, the film is astonishing.
Considerable effort shows in its authentic recreation of an era. Supporting cast is impressive, especially child performances, contributing to a uniformly strong ensemble.
Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Actress, BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film and Best Actress, Critics Choice Best Actress, Screen Actors Guild Best Actress (all won by Jessie Buckley), and AFI Movie of the Year.
Eight Oscar nominations.
