‘Hamnet’ Review: The Art in Moving Forward

Based on a book by Maggie O’Farren, Hamnet, set in 16th century England, tackles the idea of how grief can inspire artistic creation and in turn bring solace. The film follows Will (Paul Mescal) and Agnes (Jessie Buckley), from their budding romance to their life as a family to the fallout after a tragic event. An amazing tale of love and loss that gives insight into what could have inspired the timeless classic, Hamlet. With three powerhouse performances from Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and new comer Jacobi Jupe and skillfully empathetic direction by Chloé Zhao, Hamnet positions itself as a must watch film of 2025. Read our full review for Hamnet below. 

This review contains spoilers for Hamnet.

Hamnet completely knocked the wind out of me. I truly have never cried during a movie as hard as I did during this film. I have seen the words ‘emotionally manipulative’ or ‘Oscar bait’ thrown at this movie, which I find incredibly unfair. There are no cheap punches in Hamnet and every single emotional beat feels earned. Chloé Zhao takes her time building up the relationship between Agnes and Will, making you completely aware of the strong love between them and why they would be together.

Without this basis of understanding of their relationship, everything that followed would not be as tragic and heartbreaking as it ends up being. She makes you care about these characters, not because they are important historical figures but because they are human beings who have loved and lost. To denounce the expertly crafted emotional weight of this film is to deprive yourself of a true understanding of a story that everyone can relate to. We have all lost someone, and all have had to find ways to move forward. 

These characters find a way to move forward through art. Initially broken by the events that pass, Agnes and Will separate. During this break Will writes the famous tragedy of Hamlet. This of course gets the attention of Agnes, fearing that her husband has used the passing of her son as a narrative tool in his play. This is where the ending of Hamnet begins, in my opinion the most powerful and important part of the entire film. We watch Agnes see the play for the first time, at first resentful of the whole thing. Slowly this discontent changes, as she lets herself get swept up in Hamlet.

This entire sequence is a beautiful way to encapsulate how art can be shaped by grief and in turn shape how others grieve. You get a clear sense that by doing this play both Agnes and Will are being given the ability to move forward and let Hamnet’s passing not ruin their love and lives. As someone who often turns to films for this type of catharsis, the ending of Hamnet deeply resonated with me. Making this one of my favorite movie endings of the year for me. 

As I mentioned before, Hamnet is filled with amazing performances. Jessie Buckley specifically is giving not only her best performance, but one of the best of the year. Buckley is playing a historical figure who has not been given much context in history other than her being the wife of Shakespeare. This vagueness around who we know her to be, left room for Buckley to make the character entirely her own. That she did. She gives Agnes a tactile feel. The character feels lived in and completely understood by Buckley, making her believable and allows all the sincerity to come through. It is a performance that will stick with you, because it is just that powerful.

Paul Mescal is also giving an excellent performance. It would be easy to be overshadowed by Buckley or sidelined, but Mescal holds his own and delivers a fantastic supporting performance. Yet for me, Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet was the biggest surprise. This twelve year old is giving the performance of a seasoned actor in his prime. It is almost unbelievable to watch someone so young be able to convey all of these dark, complex themes in a single glance or line delivery. Every aspect of Hamnet is just on another level. The cinematography, screenplay, score, performances, and direction are all done to near perfection. If you have not seeked out this film yet, I suggest doing so as soon as you can. 

Hamnet was directed by Chloé Zhao and stars Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Jacobi Jupe, Noah Jupe, and Joe Alwyn. The film had a limited release on November 26 and went wide on December 5. 

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