HAMNET BY CHLOÉ ZHAO: TRAGEDY TURNED INTO ART

If there is one actor we could crown as the best performer of melancholic men in recent years, it has to be Paul Mescal. We have seen him both on the big screen, in devastating films like “Aftersun” and “All of Us Strangers”, and on television, in the limited series “Normal People”. His characters definitely follow a clear pattern, which made him the perfect actor to play William Shakespeare in Chloé Zhao’s new project, “Hamnet”.

After the underwhelming reception of her last movie, “Eternals”, the director moves away from Marvel to bring us a project in 2025 that feels just as, or even more, honest than her previous works. “Hamnet” is the film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, which tells the story of the Shakespeare family, focusing on Agnes (Jessie Buckley), William’s wife. The death of Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), their only son, is the tragic event that inspires his famous play, “Hamlet”.

Although Paul Mescal delivers a convincing performance as William Shakespeare, the film’s most remarkable aspect is undoubtedly Jessie Buckley’s incredible acting. The actress is already a strong contender for winning an Oscar this season, following her wins at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards. Her character is incredibly captivating, a quality reinforced by her ability to communicate emotions only through her body language. Scenes such as the birth of her children and Hamnet’s death are among the film’s strongest parts, moving the viewer with the depth and ease of her expressions of grief. Despite being a child with no prior experience on the big screen, Jacobi Jupe also gives a magnificent performance as William Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet. The young actor shows admirable chemistry with the rest of the cast and conveys a great amount of tenderness to the viewer in his emotional dialogues with his family throughout the film.

This story is a deeply moving drama. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to watch it at the cinema, because as a viewer, you find yourself sobbing throughout the film, but at the same time, it’s comforting to hear the audience around you feeling the exact same emotions. It’s one of those experiences I’ll always remember and would love to repeat as often as I can. The film runs for about two hours, but it doesn’t feel long at all thanks to its excellent narrative pacing and well-structured script that tells such an interesting story. All of this, combined with gorgeous cinematography by Lukasz Zal (“Cold War”, “The Zone of Interest”) and a soundtrack by Max Richter that culminates in that emotional final scene, makes this one of the most special films I’ve seen in recent years.

The way Chloé Zhao explores maternal love and female power in “Hamnet” is very important, but the message of the entire story lies in showing how Shakespeare managed to transform the profound grief caused by his son’s death into art, creating his absolute masterpiece. Thanks to the power of art, the writer found balance after the tragedy and transformed his son’s absence into an eternal presence.

Words: @joaquinxbc