‘Hamnet’ review: Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley burn in William Shakespeare tragedy

First Hamlet, Hamnet was. He was the young son of William Shakespeare, who died young, inspiring the playwright to paint the timeless tragedy of a doomed Danish prince. Hamnett Explores the true story through the mysterious and matriarchal lens of Maggie O’Farrell’s renowned novel of the same name, adapted by the Academy Award-winning director. nomadic land, Chloé Zhao, and her Academy-nominated actor, Paul Mescal (after noon) and Jessie Buckley (lost daughter,

It looks like this period drama could be a contender this awards season. But Oscar buzz tends to mold expectations of dramas — especially even loosely biopics — into a box: tear-filled star-studded theatrics, a soaring emotional score and beautiful scenes of pain, perfect for an awards ceremony sizzle reel. To expect the same from Zhao, Mescal and Buckley would be to ignore what initially earned them praise.

From Buckley’s star-making debut as an aspiring singer, the trio has garnered individual praise for their nuanced expressions of joy and pain. wild Rose For Zhao’s bittersweet character drama nomadic land In a heartbreaking turn as Mescal’s lost love we are all strangersIn hamnet, Their strengths combine to create a drama that is much more than an emotional tearjerker ready for Oscar praise; It is a poignant and poetically raw story of love and loss.

Hamnett Focuses on the story of Shakespeare’s witch wife Agnes.

Rather than a serious recreation of the real-life marriage of William Shakespeare and Anne “Agnes” Hathaway, Hamnett O’Farrell’s interpretation, which imagines Agnes (Buckley) as a woman who is in touch with the woods and suffers from premonitions of the future.

In the film, Agnes makes fun of the rumor that she is a witch. But her wild appeal – which includes wearing red robes and keeping a pet falcon – attracts the sentimental and bookish son of a local glove-maker. Playing Will and Agnes from youth to adulthood, Mescal and Buckley effortlessly capture the erotic impulse of young love. Their arms entangle with violent intensity as they snatch private moments from the mundane routines demanded of their families.

Unlike many of his yet-to-be-written comedies, marriage is not going to be happily ever after for this pair – as tragedy will follow. Yet, marriage is a new freedom as they redefine their married life. For Shakespeare, this means Will going to London to write plays and express his soul in stories of star-crossed lovers and fortune-telling witches. For Agnes, this means raising her three children: Susannah and twins Judith and Hamnet. But a vision of her own deathbed makes Agnes certain that one of her children will die before her.

Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet is a rare find.

Whether you know the history of Shakespeare’s domestic life, are a fan of O’Farrell’s novel, or have simply read The Room, it is already clear that Agnes is haunted by the expectation that the child who will die will be her youngest child, Judith. This adds tension to every moment she experiences with her bright, adventurous, and caring boy Hamnet, as we know their time together is short, and she has no clue.

This type of system would be suitable for any type of pain. But young Jacoby Juppé is wonderful as 11-year-old Hamnet. Under Zhao’s direction, he avoids all the pitfalls that are so common for child actors in family dramas. He is neither untimely nor supernatural. He gossips with his sisters, laughs at the games, swaps clothes for a childlike prank in which the twins trade identities. Before his mother, he dreams of being on the stage, where he gets the chance to perform sword fighting amidst the cheering of the audience. Jupe frolics with a mixture of awkwardness and sincerity that only reads as authenticity. So when the plague strikes Shakespeare’s household and Judith in particular, it’s natural that this beloved boy would curl up in his twin sister’s cot to comfort her.

When Hamnet speaks in whispers about an ominous “she” who is watching over the twins, things turn sinister – suggesting that she has the same gift of premonition as her mother. But even here, Jupe avoids clichés, in this case the haunted house child’s wide-eyed horror. Instead, he’s a boy who is scared, but accustomed to playing hero, and so the soldiers step in to help his sister with another switcheroo. And because it feels so real, the pain of its ending will take your breath away.

Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are interested Hamnett.

In the early courtship scenes, they sizzle, each using their well-known onscreen intensity. As Shakespeare’s marriage becomes complicated by distance and grief, they become explosions destined to collide. But beautiful work is done in scenes without each other. Buckley, who unquestionably plays the lead role in the film, utilizes the focus seen in wild Rose and the cruelty of men For a specific picture of grief.

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His anger and resentment are both irrational and understandable. While she is in the house where her boy was lost, her husband is in London. She cannot see that he has not survived the loss of Hamnet, but in fact, he is consumed by it. small village It begins to take shape as a means of understanding Will’s own guilt and grief.

The “to be or not to be” speech turns out to be Mescal’s biggest challenge yet. Not only because it is the iconic speech by which great people are judged, but also because it is not Hamlet he is playing in it, but the man who wrote that speech to make one realize his helplessness in the face of mortality. It is a layered and profound moment of pain and contemplation, uncovering a labyrinth of dark emotions and deep thoughts. And yet, this isn’t even the best view of Mescal.

Before Will finds out Hamnett is dead. Rushing home because he has heard that his little Judith is at death’s door, Will rushes to the family home to find the girl alive and well. They embrace, and he is filled with smiles and relief. But then he sees a small form covered in a white sheet, standing in front of the fire.

“Where is he?” Will says, and in that simple question, Mescal presents the mix of fear, hope and dread that could bring down the Globe Theatre. It is not booming. This is not Zhao’s way. It’s delivered strong but raw, trembling. This is what it hurts when Hollywood’s shine is taken away. It’s too human for an Oscar reel. This is very heartbreaking.

And it all leads to a climax that brings Agnes and Will’s pain uniquely to the Globe’s stage. There Hamnet becomes Hamlet, in a long and nerve-crushing sequence inspired by the couple’s loss and their separation. no matter how many times you’ve seen it small villageThis section affects differently because it is about the pain that motivated Dane.

Props to Noah Jupe, who plays Hamlet on stage, while also simultaneously channeling the dreamy desire of an actor attempting to impress an audience and a grieving mother. In a clever move by Zhao, he chose the older brother to play Hamlet to the younger brother’s Hamnett, and the ambiguous familial presence makes this climax all the more haunting. Noah presents a perfect echo of his brother Jacoby’s performance with flourishes of maturity and theater-worthy showmanship.

Still, I have one complaint about it Hamnett,

Although I can see Zhao’s vision and admire his restraint, I have to admit that I wanted a little more cinema. I’m not asking for emotional mediocrity in biopics aiming for Oscar glory – which this film is strictly not at any point. Instead, I wish Zhao had embraced Agnes’s foreboding visual story as she did with the mundanity of Will’s surroundings.

Since Agnes’s viewpoints are not only key to the plot but also at the core of her motivations, I wish Zhao had let us see them with her. Hamnett is rooted in Agnes’s perspective, yet Zhao and novelist O’Farrell’s screenplay contains only dialogue describing these scenes of a death bed, a landscape of trees, and a dark, infinite cave with two guests. By not using this visual medium show As for what Agnes sees us, the filmmakers keep Agnes at a distance.

In contrast, Will’s view of things gets a visual component through the climactic production. Hamlet. So, in a way, we are given more access to her inner world than to Agnes. And when the movie is playing, I sometimes feel as if I was Watching Instead of experiencing Agnes with her – it was like I was on the outside looking in. Where with Mescal’s Will, the drama is the thing… that reflects the author’s heartache.

still, Hamnett It’s a bold rebellion and I respect it. Zhao rejects not only the temptations of glossy Hollywood biopics, but also the regal romances or cerebral theatrics of everything from a handful of intense Hamlets to a series of Oscar-acclaimed Shakespeare adaptations. the tragedy of macbeth for the winner Shakespeare in Love. His Shakespeare and his partner are more emotional, providing fresh blood and true courage to this historical tragedy.

For these big swings, Hamnett Could be an unconventional but strong Oscar contender. But whether you’re invested in awards season or looking for a powerful drama from top-tier actors, be sure to bring tissues. Hamnett Can leave you in tears and in tatters.

Updated: November 20, 2025, 6:03 PM EST “Hamnet” was reviewed prior to its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. This article was originally published on September 7, 2025.

Hamnett Will be released in theaters on 26th November.