Joey Magidson
Losing a loved one is devastating, especially when it’s an untimely loss. How people react, as well as how they cope and/or grieve, varies drastically. Some sink into a deep and dark depression. Others find purpose in work. There’s no right or wrong way to handle things. When I suddenly lost my mother two years ago, I dealt with my pain both privately and publicly, while still keeping up all of my work obligations. It’s just what made sense to me. How Agnes and William Shakespeare dealt with an unimaginable loss provides the backbone of Chloé Zhao‘s Hamnet, making its world premiere here at the Telluride Film Festival.
Hamnet is almost unbearably sad when it goes for the tears, but it’s a film based almost entirely in raw yet tender emotions. The fact that it’s not manipulative and feels organic really allows you to let loose with your own feelings. My Telluride screening had one sequence in particular, though really two, that featured almost an entire theater sobbing in unison. I can’t remember the last time a movie has been able to achieve that.
An adaptation of the novel of the same name, the story is told from the point of view of Agnes (Jessie Buckley), the eventual wife of writer William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). We meet Agnes out in the woods, communing with nature, notably a hawk that she’s bonded with. He’s working as a Latin teacher in order to pay off his father’s debts, though when he sees her, he’s immediately smitten. Asking her to be handfasted (an ancient marriage ritual), they realize neither of their families will approve, though it doesn’t stop them in the slightest.
Their secret romance first produces daughter Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), which more or less forces their parents to accept their union. Then, they have twins Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) and Judith (Olivia Lynes). William often leaves for the city, becoming a more and more celebrated writer each time he returns to England, while Agnes raises the children with her mother in law Mary (Emily Watson). It’s not a spoiler to say that Hamnet will die, though how and why, as well as the way it is depicted, is best left seen for yourself…though brace yourself. In the aftermath, the grieving parents deal with the loss very differently. While she resents his absence, he begins working on the play Hamlet, which will be his version of processing grief. It isn’t until the show goes up at the Globe Theater that it all makes sense.
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are splendid, with Buckley absolutely destroying. Buckley shows Agnes one with nature and with a modern, no nonsense sensibility to her. It’s only when she’s experienced this tragedy that you see her absolutely unleash her pain. One moment of reaction is as raw as cinema gets. Mescal has far less screen time than Buckley, but he more than makes it count, showing another version of grief. Together, they showcase what loss truly does to you. Emily Watson does solid work, while the children do all that’s asked of them, though Noah Jupe goes above and beyond during one heartbreaking moment. Additional supporting roles here go to Joe Alwyn, David Wilmot, Sam Woolf, and more.
Chloé Zhao directs the adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell‘s novel, penning the screenplay with her. It’s a sparse yet effective script, while Zhao’s direction echoes Terrence Malick, especially when in nature. The cinematography from Lukasz Zal is luscious, while the Max Richter score soars. Hamnet is an acting showcase, without question, though it’s also further evidence that Zhao is a truly gifted filmmaker.
Hamnet will almost certainly destroy you. The Telluride crowd let loose with a river of tears, and they’re earned emotions, too. The fact that you feel this pain so fully and truly is a testament to Buckley, Mescal, and Zhao. This is going to be a tough watch for many, admittedly, but it’s one worth making the effort to experience.
SCORE: ★★★1/2
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