Hamnet (2025)

A hushed Sunnyside Hall audience at the end of Hamnet told the whole story.  This was a powerful film. Several of our audience had decided to come to RCC to see it second time around. We welcomed some younger people, too – always a positive.

Hamnet (2025), is directed by Chloé Zhao and adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel. The theme is the loss of Agnes and Shakespeare’s son Hamnet, who, it is believed, died from the plague.

The remarkable Jessie Buckley as Agnes, Shakespeare’s wife, has been showered with praise for her performance. She dedicated her Oscar win for Best Actress to “the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.” Her film festival outfits have all included red – to reflect the symbolic colour she wears in the film.

The film is visually magical. The mystical woodland scenes were for us “stunning.”  It was “a gorgeous, gorgeous film,” said one member of our discussion group.

Buckley’s tour-de-force emotional performance inevitably put Paul Mescal, as Will, in the shade, as his character has internalised his grief. The final Globe Theatre scenes of Hamlet are unforgettable. The black arched opening on the Globe stage reflects the dark tree hollow that Agnes visits in the forest.

Agnes’ face reflects healing taking place, as she slowly comes to understand how the themes of the play connect with the pain in her life.  The audience, in an extraordinary scene, reaches out to support her as she touches the actor playing Hamlet. A sky view shot from cinematographer Łukasz Żal is awe-inspiring.

Our discussion leader cleverly spotted that the playbill shown in the film for the performance of Hamlet lists the actors’ names, such as Mr Jupe.

A thought about the themes of this film. My great-grandmother in Russia (now Lithuania) gave birth to two sets of twins who all died. As a refugee in East London, her eleven-year-old daughter also passed away.

After traditional mourning rituals were carried out, she went on with her life. She had other healthy children, including my own grandmother. It was different times. People lived with the reality of death.

This is why, for me, the extremity of Agnes’ emotions of loss, centuries earlier, felt very contemporary.  This isn’t to deny the strength of the film, the impressive performances and all the accolades.

Anne