A scene from 'Hamnet'

Hamnet review: Amazing things come out of grief

‘Hamnet’ goes off-stage to show the devastating events that may have inspired Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, ‘Hamlet.’

Many things can tear a marriage apart, but the grief over losing a child can be difficult to overcome. There may be guilt or blame that builds tension in the relationship. Overwhelming pain and sadness can swallow a person whole or create a chasm of helplessness. Bereavement is such an intimate and private affair, it can be challenging to share the experience with someone else. Hamnet follows the ups and downs of the Bard’s marriage that resulted in one of his most famous plays.

Will Shakespeare’s (Paul Mescal) father expects him to follow in his footsteps, making quality leather gloves. Refusing to give up his literary aspirations, Will begrudgingly teaches Latin to a neighbour’s children. It’s during this tiresome task that he meets and falls in love with Agnes (Jessie Buckley).

There are rumours that she’s the daughter of a forest witch and neither family approves of their marriage. Nonetheless, their children arrive soon after the wedding. The eldest is Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), followed by twins, Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) and Judith (Olivia Lynes). In spite of their growing family, Agnes encourages Will to go to London and sell his plays. But the separation weighs heavily on them and when tragedy strikes while he’s away, the damage appears irreparable.

The beginning of the film suggests this could be Shakespeare’s origin story. It shows audiences his blue-collar beginnings and natural talent for storytelling. It follows his courtship with Agnes, spotlighting a love built on passion and belief in one another. Together, they nurture whimsical, spirited children.

But when Will exits the stage for London, viewers remain behind with Agnes. She’s a formidable woman who won’t submit to anyone, including her in-laws. Yet, it’s her strength and devotion that eventually wins over her mother-in-law (Emily Watson).

The grief of losing one of their children is crushing. Heartache consumes both parents, but they choose to deal with it differently. Will buries himself in his work and Agnes retreats from the world. Buckley sincerely draws viewers into her character’s overwhelming sorrow. Once the family’s shining light, she dims to fading embers labouring to stay alive.

Agnes is convinced their failure to protect the child caused their death and she cannot forgive Will or herself. As a result, the stress of their respective heartbreak is depicted in the context of its deteriorating effect on their relationship. Remarkably, anger reignites Agnes’ fire when she learns Will’s latest tragedy is taking the stage.

Before Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao dipped her toe into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Eternals, she focused on intimate, emotional character journeys. Her indie films follow people experiencing life-changing events and relate their efforts to overcome their hardships.

This period picture feels like a return to Zhao’s roots, though not all her earlier tactics work. The filmmaker likes to linger in the moment, but those long, quiet shots don’t enhance this film. Instead, it extends the movie to a degree that tests audience’s commitment to the story. Two hours is a long time to engage in a couple’s lifecycle.

Luckily, audiences can’t take their eyes off Buckley, who impresses with her emotional acuity. The contrast in her performance is striking. She’s also buoyed by two leading men —Mescal and Joe Alwyn (who plays Agnes’ brother) — who give her the support she needs to bring viewers along with the narrative. Notably, Will regularly sits at Agnes’ feet, framed below her as he literally bolsters her performance.

The film is based on the theory that Hamlet was inspired by Shakespeare’s personal tragedy, but that is just the story’s destination. Along the way is a moving exploration of love and grief that can be beautifully fervent and irrational.

Director: Chloé Zhao
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal and Joe Alwyn

Similar Posts

  • Review: ‘The Sisters Brothers’ doesn’t try to abide by tradition (Includes first-hand account)

    While the Western’s heyday may have passed, there is no shortage of new entries to the genre, especially of late. The narratives in the category allow for interesting explorations of race and class, as well as greed and justice. The era of gunslingers and gold diggers invites any number of conversations of right and wrong, good people and bad… and what’s right may not always be good, and vice versa. Legends were created as their feats were immortalized in the written word and fame became a goal rather than an abstract idea. This is the world in which The Sisters Brothers unfolds.

  • Review: ‘Abominable’ is the animated adventure of a lifetime (Includes first-hand account)

    Mythical creatures are great story subjects because in addition to there being no evidence of their existence, there’s also nothing to contradict any characteristic that may be imaginatively applied to them. In fact, it goes to say that if they do exist, they must have exceptional qualities to have stayed hidden for this long. Thus, besides starring in mockumentaries and people’s blurry photos, legendary beasts like Nessy, Bigfoot and the Yeti have also featured regularly in animated pictures. Not surprisingly, Abominable centres on a young yeti far from home who befriends a human girl dealing with her own sense of loss.

  • Review: ‘London Road’ is paved with innovation and a few potholes (Includes first-hand account)

    Combining genres can have mixed results, but when it works the effect can be profound. The 2000s has seen several mash-ups of horror or the macabre with the traditionally brighter and uplifting musical. Repo! The Genetic Opera and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street come to mind as examples of genre blending working out wonderfully. But what about less sexy narratives, such as a small town murder mystery? And what if creators took it one step further and used real-life scripts to compose their lyrics? London Road does this and more to produce a unique, tuneful account of a community’s shocking discovery.

  • Review: ‘Captain America: Civil War’ delivers on the big things (Includes first-hand account)

    Even though the team found a way to put their differences aside, cracks in The Avengers‘ armour began to show in the last ensemble film. Superheroes no longer exist in a world in which there are no consequences for their actions — Batman v Superman recently dealt with similar themes. But who gets to decide when and where they’re deployed? And if they disagree, whose decision has greater authority? There’s a fine line between regulation and control; and while one may appear essential to co-existence, the other is a significant and probable risk. Captain America: Civil War addresses these questions, dividing The Avengers into opposing factions.

  • Review: ‘The Magnificent Seven’ updates the Western for modern audiences (Includes first-hand account)

    The Western is one of the most well-defined film genres, but that also opens it up to some great opportunities for genre-bending narratives. Clint Eastwood was an icon of the Old West movies, yet one of his best pictures turned the genre on its head: High Plains Drifter centred on an anti-hero determined to teach the townspeople as much of a lesson as the hooligans tormenting it. In the same sense, remakes can reimagine the original stories and provide them with different meanings or outcomes that are better suited to contemporary audiences. The 2016 version of The Magnificent Seven makes some changes to the key characters as well as the attitudes of the victims.