Genre: History / Drama
Duration: 126 minuten
Country:
United Kingdom / United States
Directed by: Chloé Zhao
Stars: Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley and Emily Watson
IMDb score:
7,9 (79.671)
Releasedate: 26 November 2025
Hamnet plot
"Keep your heart open."
This is the story of Agnes and William. She is a healer, and he is a famous writer. It is also the story of their children: Susanna, their firstborn, and their twins, Judith and Hamnet. Their small village in 16th-century England is also featured. Moreover, the lives and especially the deaths from the plague of their time are central. Everything is told from Agnes's perspective.
Social Media
Actors and actresses
Agnes
Will
Mary
Bartholomew
Hamnet
Hamlet
Judith
Joan
John
Rowan
Reviews & comments
mjk87 (moderator films)
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- 14602 messages
- 4556 votes
Very heavy. Zhao's influence is most evident in the sometimes dreamy images. The film is also visually beautiful in these moments. And when there's a subtle zoom-out (on Agnes sitting in the garden, followed by a subtly zoomed-in shot of Shakespeare by the water), there's something visually appealing. But otherwise, there are many dark scenes and static shots that aren't necessarily ugly, but rather dull. And that's what I found in the drama, which didn't really do much for me. Buckley is sometimes endearing, but too often verges on the theatrical. Mescal is better, but a bit colorless. And so the film meanders along for over two hours without it really doing anything for me. 2.0*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mrklm
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- 11659 messages
- 10059 votes
William Shakespeare [Paul Mescal] is destined to become a glover when he falls hopelessly in love with Agnes [Jessie Buckley], who, due to her mysterious forays into the forest and a form of clairvoyance, is labeled by many as a "forest witch." Will and Agnes have three children; Hamnet [Jacobu Jupe] dies, Will leaves his family behind and writes Hamlet. The trailer gives away the full story of this meticulous production, in which the only surprise is that Zhao forces her cast into overblown melodrama, even deploying a string ensemble to force you to feel something. Painful childbirths, intense arguing, and banal dialogue stand in stark contrast to Shakespeare's. It's no surprise that the performance of "Hamlet" is the emotional high point, but Zhao manages to spoil even that with her lack of subtlety. With Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes as producers, it's no surprise that this film garnered several nominations. However, it should have remained just nominations.
Translated from Dutch · View original
filmfan0511
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- 1099 messages
- 1128 votes
Very heavy, above all. Good, but heavy. Carried by a powerful performance from Buckley and skillful direction from Zhao. Paul Mescal is also good as the somewhat eccentric and later tormented Shakespeare, but he is clearly the least integral to what makes the film so strong. This is mainly because the story is told from Agnes's perspective. But gosh, Jessie Buckley, get that Oscar ready. A very impressive, painfully relatable, human performance, from a mourning mother, although she is more than that. You watch the birthing scene and later Hamnet's death with bated breath and more than a little vicarious pain. Besides her performance, the film shines especially when Zhao lets the images do the talking, in the more poetic, dream-like scenes, or the images of nature. Then you really see her full talent as a director and visual artist.
The dialogue is okay, but a bit less subtle—especially towards the end, when the well-known quotes from Shakespeare's work are a bit overdone in certain scenes (I found the "to be or not to be" moment particularly awkward). And Max Richter's music, including his well-known "On the Nature of Daylight," is also clearly used towards the end to induce tears. But hey, it didn't leave me unmoved, so it does work to some extent. It's a bit melodrama, but of a very high standard.
4*.
Translated from Dutch · View original
HorrorFan007
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- 398 messages
- 533 votes
My girlfriend always drags me along to such movies,
And yes, I enjoyed this very nice film. 1 point of criticism:
The movie went pretty fast until the play, about 35 minutes, showing the play was too long, 15 minutes would have been enough. This is real fodder for the academy, so he'll probably walk away with a few Oscars. *3.5
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