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.

This movie is about remembrance, dedication, love.

I came in knowing almost nothing and only fully realized this was about Shakespeare near the very end of the movie. In a sense, I wish I knew more about Shakespeare's history and the story of hamlet. However, I feel coming in with nothing actually added more to the film and its emotion; not fully understanding what was happening till the very end made it so much stronger going into that last march. To be honest I wasn't fully convinced with the first half of the film, but the last part brought it all back making everything make sense again.

The introduction of the theater is crucial to prepare the audience for the scene that's about to unfold. The camera and angles from the beginning of the theater scene builds the suspense: the feeling of who Will has become, and the meaning of this play combined with the tension between them two.

The acting is also incredible with paul and jacobi's performances truly making the movie - raw, authentic, and full of emotion. Particularly Paul's "again" scene. It might be worth an award.

The costume design is well thought out and the blonde hair paint and blue costume really stands out. The attention to detail with the ghost's white clay...

The final scene of the crowd reaching out and Hamnet turning away was the most heart wrenching and beautiful of the film and did bring me to tears.

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.

What do You see?

No words can fully describe the immense talent of Chloé Zhao.

Jessie Buckley Is an Absolute force of Nature,Her perfomance Amazing and Heartbreaking gut punch.

The screenplay,cinematography, and the music make for an incredible film about grief and acceptance.

The last 20 minutes are faithful to the book and so powerful.

Keep your Heart Open.

Paul Mescal gives a breathtaking performance in Hamnet. His acting is powerful, emotional, and so natural that every moment feels real. The film itself is beautifully directed, visually stunning, and full of heart. It's a deeply moving story that stays with you long after watching. A masterpiece - one of the best films of the year!