London Film Festival 2025

Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Written by: Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
Run Time: 2 hours 6 mins

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If there’s one thing that cinema isn’t short on, it’s Shakespeare. The legendary playwright’s works have been adapted and reimagined countless times, but far rarer are films about the writer himself. Shakespeare in Love (1998), Bill (2015) and All is True (2018) are amongst the few examples there are, but it stills feels like there should be a more definitive story about such a renowned historical figure. Perhaps then, Chloé Zhao’s latest film Hamnet – an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name – might finally offer one.

However, this is no straightforward Shakespeare biopic. Instead, Zhao’s film focuses on the relationship between Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife, Agnes (Jessie Buckley). Told largely from the perspective of Agnes, the narrative follows the couple’s tender courtship, the joyful growth of their family, and then, the devastating loss that completely reshapes their lives. Hamnet presents the painful aftermath of this tragedy, candidly exploring grief’s shattering impact on the characters both individually, and as a couple.

Despite their clear adoration for one another, endearingly displayed in the film’s gentle first act, there’s a marked distinction between this husband and wife. The young Will – not quite yet the household name he’ll become – is drawn to the hustle and bustle of London, a location with enough scale to play host to his emerging genius. While Agnes is much more at home in nature, holding a deep routed connection to the forest and with a family lineage that feels entirely of the earth. It’s perhaps unsurprising then that their respective grief sees them respond so differently, something keenly observed by both Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

It’s in this harsh conflict that Zhao portrays the deep despair that the couple face, helpless in the midst of such great loss. Her depiction of this grief is raw and unfiltered, as is Buckley’s. A performance so uninhibited that it feels almost too personal to be seen. Yet, it’s so emotionally captivating that it insists empathy. Buckley is no stranger to rich, emotive roles, but her turn here ranks amongst her finest to date. Mescal is on predictably fine form too, with his penchant for poignancy once again being put to good use. His portrayal of Shakespeare isn’t one of caricature, but simply of a tortured writer unable to express himself in any other way than through his art. It’s a grounded, sensitive performance that further cements Mescal as one of the leading dramatic talents of our time.

Zhao captures these superb performances with much finesse too, her camera moving with a fluidity that reveals much more than just the drama unfolding before it. She imbues certain moments with a saddening sense of foreboding — one, in particular, where the young father and his son, the titular Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), slowly back away from each other, proves especially moving. Coupled with Max Richter’s ethereal score – beautifully blending soft choral harmonies and swelling strings – Hamnet takes on an almost otherworldly quality, delicately and aptly narrowing the space between this place and the next.

These textured visuals and enchanting sounds carry the film effortlessly into a final act that couldn’t be more full of feeling. A performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet — thought to be inspired, at least in part, by his son Hamnet — at London’s Globe Theatre becomes something far more profound than just a performance of a play. Zhao positions her audience perfectly to perceive the shifting perspectives of those watching and how they inform one another. What follows is an enlightening emotional understanding and powerful catharsis that reminds us, when all other forms of communication fail, art will always remain.

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Star Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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