After losing their son Hamnet to plague, Agnes and William Shakespeare grapple with grief in 16th-century England. A healer, Agnes must find strength to care for her surviving children while... Read allAfter losing their son Hamnet to plague, Agnes and William Shakespeare grapple with grief in 16th-century England. A healer, Agnes must find strength to care for her surviving children while processing her devastating loss.After losing their son Hamnet to plague, Agnes and William Shakespeare grapple with grief in 16th-century England. A healer, Agnes must find strength to care for her surviving children while processing her devastating loss.
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Releases January 21, 2026
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Featured reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What a beautiful movie from Chloé Zhao. The film follows the life of a regular family in a past era, focusing on their relationships and how they deal with life's challenges. It's about love, loss, and family bonds, but it doesn't hit you over the head with drama. Things unfold slowly and quietly - small gestures, looks, and silences speak just as much as words. The English countryside almost feels alive, quietly watching over the family, and the story shows that human emotions - grief, care, hope - are timeless, even across centuries.
It's admirable that Chloé Zhao had the courage and insight to write and direct this almost Shakespearian story. William and Agnes bring twin children into the world, and the loss of one puts them in an incredibly tragic situation. Yet they have to find a way to keep going - as much as humans can - despite the pain.
Hamnet captures both darkness and grace in one of the most unapologetically raw and profoundly moving films I've seen this year. It features career-best performances from both Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and it stands as Chloé Zhao's most accomplished work.
For me, it was a deeply emotional experience. The film doesn't scream its drama; it hints at it through tiny gestures, lingering looks, quiet moments, and family intimacy. You feel the characters' sorrow, hope, and concern - almost like you're living those moments alongside them. It's not an explosive movie; it moves you subtly and persistently, making you empathize with their loss and their struggle to carry on.
It's admirable that Chloé Zhao had the courage and insight to write and direct this almost Shakespearian story. William and Agnes bring twin children into the world, and the loss of one puts them in an incredibly tragic situation. Yet they have to find a way to keep going - as much as humans can - despite the pain.
Hamnet captures both darkness and grace in one of the most unapologetically raw and profoundly moving films I've seen this year. It features career-best performances from both Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and it stands as Chloé Zhao's most accomplished work.
For me, it was a deeply emotional experience. The film doesn't scream its drama; it hints at it through tiny gestures, lingering looks, quiet moments, and family intimacy. You feel the characters' sorrow, hope, and concern - almost like you're living those moments alongside them. It's not an explosive movie; it moves you subtly and persistently, making you empathize with their loss and their struggle to carry on.
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.
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.
How 'Hamnet' Shows a New Side of Shakespeare
How 'Hamnet' Shows a New Side of Shakespeare
IMDb spoke to Hamnet star Paul Mescal (William Shakespeare) and director Chloé Zhao about how the biographical drama uncovers a new side of Shakespeare that goes beyond his writing.
Did you know
- TriviaWhile the name of Shakespeare's wife is usually spelled Anne Hathaway, in legal documents her father spelled her name Agnes. In the early modern period it was common for names to have alternate spellings. Maggie O'Farrell chose to use the name Agnes for her protagonist.
- GoofsMultiple times in the film, one character greets another with "hello", a word not recorded in English until the 1800s and only popularized as a greeting after the invention of the telephone. Instead, people would usually greet each other with reference to the time (good morning, good day, good evening, etc.)
- ConnectionsFeatured in Today: Episode dated 21 November 2025 (2025)
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2025 TIFF Festival Guide
2025 TIFF Festival Guide
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Гамнет
- Filming locations
- Weobley, Herefordshire, England, UK(Location)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $15,028,765
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $932,278
- Nov 30, 2025
- Gross worldwide
- $27,928,765
- Runtime
- 2h 5m(125 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 16 : 9
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