Cinematic Considerations

An adaptation of the Maggie O’Farrell novel of the same name, Director Chloé Zhao enters new territory with “Hamnet.”

Her drama about a family and the overwhelming power of both love and loss is quietly ethereal and raw. While not overtly addressing him by name, the film follows a young William Shakespeare, played by Paul Mescal as he falls for a strangely independent woman named Agnes, played by Jessie Buckley. The love and family they develop set the stage for some of the playwright’s most powerful works.

I did not expect to be captivated by a performance that has almost nothing to do with Shakespeare himself. There is so much vibrancy and emotion piercing through Buckley’s eyes and trembling off her quivering lips that it envelops an entire world of romance and tragedy. This is far greater than what could have appeared on the stage, on the written page and more than what could have been in Zhao’s vision for “Hamnet” as a film.

The ability Buckley has to emote the joys and horrors of Agnes’s life with overwhelming respect and compassion captures the entire world of “Hamnet,” to the detriment of the other performers on screen. What Buckley is able to pull off here is a towering achievement for a performer that cements her as one of the generation’s best.

Mescal’s Shakespeare bounds in and out of the world of “Hamnet” with both an exuberant passion for life and art with a blindness to the consequences of his actions. It’s a frustrating, rich portrait of a man seemingly at odds with himself, burdened with a glorious purpose he doesn’t really know how to harness and can’t explain, which is isolating him from those he cares for.

The dynamic chemistry between Buckley and Mescal is exuberant and intense. Zhao allows her camera frame to linger on the subtle flirtations that lead to William and Agnes’s coupling. Both do an exceptional job as the distance grows — physical and emotional — between the couple of peeling back the layers of their characters, highlighting how the presence of each in the other’s lives has changed them for the better.

Powerful and emotional, audiences will leave rejuvenated and overwhelmed and drained if they buy into the cinema. “Hamnet” takes its power from the quiet majesty of nature, fueled by raw emotions.

“Hamnet” is far and away Zhao’s best film. The razor-thin balance of tone is masterful, and there is a clear inspiration both in staged adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays and in the broad visual palette of a Terrence Malick-like aesthetic that helps cement Zhao’s vision for her artistry.

What makes “Hamnet” exceptional is the precise attention to detail in every frame — from the rich, lived-in sets and production design to the evocative, Terrence Malick–inspired cinematography that frames the melancholic world of the film.

Audiences are able to absorb an ethereal natural color palette reflective of Agnes’s upbringing, one that establishes an emotional mood from the outset.

The costuming is understated yet refined, grounding each character in a world that feels both authentic and shaped by their inner lives. Zhao’s camera allows viewers to linger in the highs and lows of Agnes and Will’s lives together and apart. She lets the emotional contours of their relationship unfold with quiet, resonant clarity.

“Hamnet” is expected to be a major player come awards season, and a virtual lock for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and several technical categories. With Zhao and Mescal as strong contenders for Best Directing and Best Supporting Actor nominations, respectively.

Beautifully bittersweet and exceptionally well acted, “Hamnet” is without question one of the year’s best films, regardless of genre. The film is wholly deserving of the widespread critical acclaim it has received.

Cinephiles interested in seeing a celebrated auteur delve into deeper, richer emotional territory should race to theaters to witness this exceptional piece of artwork come to life.

Zhao captures the tender, painful space between love and loss with such quiet honesty that “Hamnet” lingers long after it ends, a beautifully resonant reminder of why her work continues to matter.

Matt Ward is a local film critic, who is also an official Rotten Tomatoes reviewer. Continue the conversation online at www.cinematicconsiderations. com.