Hamnet
For her newest film, director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) has adapted Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet; both book and movie are about William Shakespeare and his wife in the aftermath of the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. Paul Mescal stars as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his wife Agnes. Here’s the trailer.
The film recently premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and the reviews are very good.
Premiering at the Telluride Film Festival ahead of a November theatrical release, Hamnet is devastating, maybe the most emotionally shattering movie I’ve seen in years. The book was overwhelming, too, and going into a film about the death of a child, one naturally prepares to shed some tears. Still, I did not really expect to cry this much. That’s not just because of the tragic weight of the material, but because the picture reimagines the poetic act of creating Hamlet. Shakespeare’s play sits on the highest shelf, fixed by the dust from centuries of acclaim. It is about as unimpeachable as a work of art can be. And yet, here is a movie that dares to explore its inception. The attempt itself is noble, and maybe a little brazen; that it succeeds feels downright supernatural.
The film premieres in the US on Nov 27 with a nationwide release on Dec 12.
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The book, Hamnet, was fantastic. I loved how it centered Agnes and her agency. You didn't need to be a Hamlet scholar (or even really know the play) to get immense enjoyment from the book.
Only because we’re mentioning O’Farrell’s incredible work, Hamnet, I want to pipe up to say that her memoir-esque work, I Am, I Am, I Am, lives alongside me every day. If you missed that one in favor of Marriage Portrait or This Must Be the Place, it’s really worth your time. They’re all worth our time.
I’ve read all the works you mention here and loved them all! Are there any others of hers you’d suggest? Thanks!
Hi Meghan! The Hand That First Held Mine is deeply moving, though I might start with The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, as it’s riveting? Instructions for a Heatwave and After You’d Gone are such insightful portraits of families in crisis; the ways we miss and misunderstand each other. Really, you can’t go wrong whatever order you choose.
Thank you, thank you!
Crimony, I'm bawling at the freaking trailer!
I wonder if Anne Hathaway is miffed that she wasn't chosen to play Anne Hathaway
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