Hamnet, while a little muddled, is a well-filmed adaptation with an ending that will bring audiences to tears
By Craig Allan
Zhao’s movie improves on the book in many ways, and while it still carries the problems of its source material, it is beautifully shot with one of the most powerful endings of any film this year.
Grief can be a powerful thing, and people deal with it in different ways. In Hamnet, Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s book about the creation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (titled Hamnet and Judith in Canada), Zhao shows the stunning loss and redemption of a family that loses a child. Zhao’s movie improves on the book in many ways, and while it still carries the problems of its source material, it is beautifully shot with one of the most powerful endings of any film this year.
This is Zhao’s first film since the poorly received Marvel entry The Eternals. Considering that the previous film contained so much CGI and big screen spectacle, it looks like Zhao decided to go back to a more real and grounded film experience. Forest scenes and beautiful landscape shots are a meditative delight, and the movie also featured an actual hawk, though with a stand-in for Buckley. Though it would have been nice to see the film use the famed Shakespeare Globe Theatre for the climax, the set built for the finale did look nice. Credit also goes to cinematographer Łukasz Żal for the film’s look.
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are sensational as Agnes and William Shakespeare. Buckley imbues Agnes with charming whimsy and devastating grief. She embodies the pain of loss, especially because unexpected death can destroy someone. The middle of the film captures the book well, with Agnes frantically caring for her children. We see that she would never give up on her children until their dying breath. While Buckley has always been great, and there is hope that this underrated actor can receive an Oscar nomination for her work, the real surprise is Mescal. The book is centred on Agnes’s point of view, so there is not much of William’s feelings being explored unless he is directly telling Agnes. In the movie, Zhao can explore William’s feelings towards loss and how he copes with the tragedy. This makes William in the movie far more interesting than in the book.
The highlight of the film is the finale. Taking place in the Globe Theatre, the book kind of butchers the finale, as Agnes’ emotions do not come through with the book ending a couple of minutes into the play. In the movie, Zhao lets this scene play out in all its emotional glory. Agnes’s face, welling with tears as she watches, and the realization of what her husband has done in his mourning, is beautiful. The ending also features a scene where the audience reaches for the eponymous Hamlet (Noah Jupe), which feels like the comforting reach of humanity extended through the beauty of art. This is one of the best endings to any film this year, and if the reactions to last year’s Oscar Best Picture winner, Anora, say anything, it’s that a strong ending can carry a film a long way.
However, the movie falters in the beginning, as it feels a little dense and confusing. This issue originates in the book and hurts the movie by making it hard to follow the spiritual nature of the source material. Zhao does deserve credit for streamlining the film by not travelling between time periods as the book does. The book would have benefited from depicting William’s experience in London, as that improved the character and was a highlight of the film.
All in, this is a great return to form for the woman who won the first Best Director Oscar of this decade. It is a story of loss and mourning that will have audiences weeping as they exit the theatre doors. Likely a different experience than what those leaving Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 will have as they exit.
