Hamnet: Blown Away by Shakespeare’s Subtleties

They had gluten free chocolate cake <3

Last Sunday I went to see Hamnet with my boyfriend and I was blown away.
First of all, when we bought the tickets we were chatting with the lady selling us tickets and she said, “Have you brought tissues?”

Last Sunday, I went to see Hamnet with my boyfriend, and I was absolutely blown away. First off, when we bought the tickets, we were chatting with the lady at the counter, and she asked, “Have you brought tissues?” I didn’t know much about Hamnet at the time — it hadn’t really been on my radar. I was sort of interested, but it’s been a while since I read Shakespeare, and my focus lately has been on other kinds of literature. I actually wanted to see the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, but what held me back was a review saying it was almost three hours of mostly static shots. I personally don’t like how movies over the last decade or so have stretched from an hour and a half to two hours to three hours. I just don’t want to be stuck in a theater for three hours without an intermission.

I need that break, and I find those epic-length films sometimes feel extremely long just for the sake of it. I don’t know if it’s always necessary for the plot. But that’s my personal view.
So, we opted for Hamnet, which clocked in at a respectable two hours and five minutes, and from the very first moment, I was captivated by its Shakespearean subtleties. That’s the best way to describe it. Directed by Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), who co-wrote the screenplay with author Maggie O’Farrell based on her 2020 novel, the film dramatizes the real-life tragedy of William Shakespeare (played by Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) coping with the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, amid the plague in 16th-century England. This loss is said to have inspired Shakespeare’s masterpiece Hamlet, with the names being interchangeable in historical records.

Many scenes are filmed in a rustic house on an estate, but you can still sense the skeleton of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in the staging — the way characters enter and exit, the intimate shots that evoke a stage play. You’d see a child’s room set up like a theatrical prop, because Shakespeare was, after all, a playwright. Then, there’d be this shadowy darkness in the corner, and someone would slip off into it, just like in live theater. Visually, it all clicked for me; my mind was thrilled. Everything was neatly done, well thought through, and truly supported the plot, which is so important to me. The intertwined elements and narratives , for example, the feigned death motifs, role reversals echo classic Shakespearean plays but feel different.

You can see how an author like Shakespeare, drawing from his lived experiences, wove grand fictional stories with drops of personal inspiration: taking one element from life, mixing it with another, isolating an intriguing character, and giving it a wicked twist in his tales. That layering was masterfully handled.

I think of it as a cake with an infinite number of layers , the more you watch, the more you uncover Shakespeare’s depths. You could lose yourself in it. So, I’ll avoid spoiling too much of the plot; this review is more experience-based. If you love Shakespeare, you’re going to appreciate this film deeply. It’s been praised for its emotional force, with critics calling it “devastating” and highlighting Buckley and Mescal’s “astonishing” performances that break and mend hearts.

The cinematography evokes Renaissance paintings, and the intimate sound design amplifies the grief. My favorite scene — though there were many — was the one where William Shakespeare is directing the play. It’s not the main focus of the movie, so it’s odd that it’s my standout, but he’s coaching an actor reciting those iconic Shakespearean lines, saying, “Again, you have to do it again. It’s not good.” Then Shakespeare cuts in: “This is how you do it,” and delivers the lines beautifully. Anyone familiar with Shakespeare knows how challenging it is to embody his characters and make them sound natural yet profound.