Director: Chloé Zhao
Writer: Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Zac Wishart
Synopsis: A powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.
Since it was published in the 1600s, “Hamlet” has been universally regarded as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. The story of a young prince wanting revenge for injustices done against his family by his uncle, William Shakespeare’s tragic play has been performed, adapted and reimagined hundreds of times over the centuries, and will likely remain a timeless work for generations to come. In Hamnet, director Chloé Zhao adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name in order to explore the story that led to the inspiration behind “Hamlet,” a story that, for historians, may still be speculation at best.
Agnes (Jessie Buckley) is a woman in Warwickshire who often keeps to herself and hones her gifts in a manner that confounds some around her. It is here that she meets her husband (Paul Mescal), a man who is trying to make enough of a living to do bigger things in his life and for his family, and he is immediately infatuated by Agnes. The two fall in love and have three children: Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet. When tragedy strikes and Hamnet dies at age 11, the family is shattered and emotionally distraught. It is this tragedy that leads Hamnet’s father, William, to retreat within himself and years later, write a play named Hamlet that will be performed in London.
There are several schools of thought involved when it comes to the inspiration behind “Hamlet.” While it cannot be definitively said that the death of Hamnet inspired Shakespeare to write the play, the story told in Hamnet does offer many parallels to suggest that much of the imagery and symbolism present in “Hamlet” may be directly referencing the life the Shakespeares have known. What follows in Zhao’s movie is nothing short of extraordinary. By tapping into the emotional and gut-wrenching aspects of its story and building the romance between Agnes and William in a powerful manner. The result is a masterwork from Zhao that ranks among the finest movies of 2025 and a devastating family tragedy that will likely have many shedding a tear by the end.
Much of Hamnet’s emotional punch comes from its two lead performances. As Agnes, Buckley delivers what may be her best performance to date, channeling the love and grief of a mother and a wife as the movie progresses in soul crushing ways, and conveying those feelings in a raw and unfiltered manner. The pain of Agnes is felt in every frame, and as she looks for ways to process that pain, trials, and tribulations that continue to plague her, Buckley lets those emotions come through very effectively. As Shakespeare, Mescal is very reserved with his emotions, letting them peek through the curtain every now and then, just so the audience can have a glimpse of what he feels underneath. There is love and warmth abundant within him, even if sometimes his colder exterior (unless he is with Agnes, particularly early on) sometimes signals otherwise. When the moments of emotional catharsis do arrive for them, they make them count.
Zhao’s direction and visual flair are complemented by Łukasz Żal’s (Ida, Cold War, The Zone of Interest) gorgeous cinematography, bringing to life the lush and even industrial settings of Warwickshire and London vividly with his use of shadows and colors, given even more life by Max Richter’s wonderful score that adds its own emotional punch to the proceedings. That score is so effective that even when a very familiar piece by Richter is used at one point, it doesn’t take away from the power of the scene. That is a testament to Zhao’s work and the terrific dialogue-less work from Buckley and Mescal in the moment, and makes for one of the year’s best scenes.
By the time Hamnet reaches its climax, the final movie is nothing short of a masterpiece from Zhao. Every single aspect of its production exudes a level of talent and love that makes it hard not to be emotionally swept away. A loud collective sob was heard at the end of the screening attended by this critic, and that wasn’t surprising in the slightest. Hamnet is absolutely one of the year’s best and worth every bit of praise it receives.
