Hamnet: a portrait of grief and unconditional love.

“What shall I do?”

“Keep your heart open…”

I guess I should start this by saying that I am not a valedictorian regarding Shakespeare, although some of his famous works, especially those adapted to cinema, have managed to spark my curiosity. 

Hamnet, without a doubt, is one of the most beautiful and touching films I have seen in recent years. I guess I not only enjoyed knowing more about this part of Shakespeare’s life, but also witness another great example of a mother’s love and care for her children. While Shakespeare is a loving father, his increasingly professional career makes his time at home with the family shorter and, with it, the relationships start to become strained. 

This motion picture is a living proof of how art in its many forms can endure even in our darkest times. Not only does art endure, but it can serve as a magnifying manifestation of something we somehow can’t merely express with words. It is a combination of humanly things that are made to try to show others what we think, how we feel and who we love. 

Jessie Buckley’s performance is one of the most raw, honest and powerful I’ve seen in recent years. Her role as Agnes gives us a better glimpse of the other role Shakespeare occupied aside from an artist and poet, a man with many flaws. Buckley’s performance not only shows a mother who bears an enormous love for her children, but also a woman somewhat beyond her years when it comes to wisdom and knowledge of nature and her surroundings. In my honest opinion, her role is both Golden Globe and Academy Award worthy. Paul Mescal delivers a William Shakespeare both inspired and tormented with ideas, while also struggling to balance his life as a person nourishing his creativity and his role as the family’s breadwinner. 

Jacobi Jupe is a talented rising young actor, and delivers one of the best child performances I’ve ever seen. His portrayal of Hamnet shows a combination of delicacy, sensitivity, vulnerability and purity. I’m excited to see what next roles he will bring us, continuing with Mike Flanagan’s fresh version of The Exorcist. 

I have to say I haven’t seen much of Chloé Zhao’s directorial style to give much of an opinion, but in this case she manages to deliver a moving motion picture that highlights Shakespeare’s life outside from his professional career and strengthens that family bonds and unity are essential factors when someone with a great potential is going through difficult times.

The screenplay, adapted by Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell is based on the book of the same name by O’Farrell and carefully crafted to capture the elements that belong to the Shakespearean universe.

The soundtrack echoes in the movie’s sorrow and profound atmosphere and gives us a touch of instrumental music that is both melodic and sad.

Hamnet is a universal story, which many people in different phases of life can relate to, whether they’re in a period of self discovery, seeking their full potential or simply longing for comfort amidst all the harshness in the world.