Hamnet

The performances across the board here are really great. Buckley, Mescal, and J. Jupe are the standouts. The cinematography of the pastoral is sublime. The premise is moving, and the use of the arts as a way to work through trauma, as displayed in the film, was poignant.

That being said, I couldn't help but feel that this film felt rather hammy and ham-fisted at times. I could not connect with it in a way that I probably should have. While I understand intellectually and academically that this should have brought me to tears, the way some scenes unfurl and play out felt stilted and contrived. Agnes as a character felt a tad too anachronistic and modern for the time period. She just felt far too outspoken and forthright. And the scene where Shakespeare is formulating and verbalizing the famed "To be or not to be" speech for the play inspired by his son, which comes to be known as Hamlet, felt strangely inorganic. And the use of Max Richter's song "On the Nature of Daylight" really sullied the immersion and felt tacked-on. I love Richter's music in general, but here in this context it felt weirdly commercial and plasticine which, juxtaposed with the subtle, quietly powerful sentiment of the film, didn't work.

But I can see how this film can be really cathartic and affecting for many people.

Hamnet is my favorite movie of the year. What a beautiful script. This movie is a tearjerker. It's the most emotional I've been watching a movie in years. The performances from Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are some of the best performances this decade. It also includes some of the best child acting I've ever seen. A film about love and loss that hits all the right notes perfectly. It even manages to have some really funny moments as well. The cinematography is beautiful, the editing is smooth, and the score is phenomenal. Chloe Zhao knocked it out of the park directing. It's definitely her best movie. No notes. 10/10.

I was really looking forward to this movie. Couldn't wait. I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in a movie in my life.

My wife fell asleep.

I didn't expect history but it was so far off Shakespeare's life. The performances were good and I always like seeing Emily Watson, but the story was very slow. I never felt a connection to the characters. I do not recommend.

Watched at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

A beautiful, emotional, and raw tale about the tale of loss, romance, bonds, family, and the surroundings world of the Shakespeare family. I'm so happy Chloe Zhao is back to her roots as her direction on the atmosphere, writing, characters and tone is absolutely remarkable. On exploring the characters, their conflicts and movements, and emotions, within the gorgeous production designs, beautiful camerawork, sound designs and strong powerful direction on the themes and tone was balanced, creative and excellent. Zhao works well on exploring on the normal individuals lives revolving around social class, community and lives. While unlike focusing on the modern era, still, Zhao's approach with the classic era still remains powerful and effective.

The characters were interesting as observing the lives of a couple dealing with their problems, their goals, and the emotions gathering between is pretty good. Especially the performances as Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley and the rest of the cast were fantastic. I'm so happy to see Buckley receiving more recognition as she is very talented and deserves it.

The dialogue is pretty good, the musical score is great, and the writing, although admittedly, certain writing concepts didn't fully work at some points, was engaging, interesting and offered some pretty great themes to explore. Coming out from my screening, I'd overheard some calling this Oscar Bait and I disagree, Oscar Bait movies are much more forced, pretentious and those trying so hard to be so grand and excellent. Hamnet doesn't feel forced, it feels genuine, raw, realistic and at times, a good neo-realism.

Overall, I'm happy for Zhao to be back in her roots for what she is very good with. Definitely one of the best movies from the festival so far.

I read Maggie O'Farrell's novel Hamnet and admired it a great deal. Then I saw the film, directed by Chloé Zhao, and I have to say: I liked the movie even more.

The acting is quietly astonishing. No one is pushing, no one is showing off. It's all deeply human, moment to moment, from the first frame to the last. This is one of those films where small things planted early on actually matter later - and when they finally come back around, they land with real emotional weight. You might want to have a box of Kleenex nearby. I'm not kidding.

There's a lot of patience here. The pacing is extremely slow - slower than almost any modern film I can think of - and that is very clearly a deliberate choice, not a mistake. Whether that works for you will depend on how willing you are to sit still and let a story unfold on its own terms. For me, it did.

What I responded to most was the humanity of it. Grief, love, endurance, memory - all handled without sentimentality or manipulation. The film trusts its audience, and that trust is rewarded by the time you reach the end, which is genuinely beautiful.

I gave it an 8/10.

It's not a movie for everyone, but if you're willing to slow down and really watch, Hamnet stays with you.