How do you write up a movie like Hamnet? That is the question I asked my friend as we left the cinema. At first, I felt daunted. Seriously. But the film experience had worked its way into my soul, and I knew the writer in me would be compelled to find a way to encapsulate it. I had read the book by the incomparable Maggie O’Farrell in 2024 (and reviewed it), so when my friend invited me see the movie, I nearly declined. Knowing the tragedy involved, which, as is well-known due to the blurb on the back of the book and the movie’s synopsis, covers the life and death of Hamnet, the son of William Shakespeare, I was uncertain whether I wanted to see a two-hour depiction of grief.
But, at the same time, I was intrigued. How would a director be able to bring such an atmospheric, haunting, witchy book and all that interiority to life? The answer is by utilizing the techno wizardry of the big screen. I was thrilled to learn that Maggie O’Farrell co-wrote the script with director Cloe Zao and also acted as co-producer. O’Farrell’s particular whimsy and mysterious fingerprints needed to be all over it.
The clever use of scenery, including medieval setting and costumery, the slow panoramic shots of primordial forest and knobbled trees, combined with whispering, yawning, resonant sound effects, and the sweeping musical score by Max Richter, worked to draw us fully into this enchanted world. The combination of sound and imagery enveloped us as if we had wandered into the fairy realm. I was truly astonished by how well the bells & whistles transported us into a bygone era. There was an effective use of unusual sound effects too, the genius work of Oscar-winning ‘sound designer’ Johnnie Burn, like the hollow wind seeming to pull us down into the cave beneath the big tree, and a throbbing, thrumming as if thunder were approaching that all served to alert us bodily to danger.
The actors also did the heavy-lifting. Luminous, untameable Agnes Hathaway, wife of Shakespeare, was played by Jessie Buckley (the actress who almost stole the show from Olivia Coleman in Wicked Little Letters). Agnes was the beating heart of the movie, as much so as she was in the book. I wept and wept over her gut-wrenching grief at the loss of her precious son. Paul Mescal was a new actor for me. His portrayal of Shakespeare initially failed to make an impression. However, as he moved into the role of the tortured artist at war with himself over the desire to serve his family and the need to write, he became sharper and more intensely drawn. Special mention must go to Jacobi Juke, who played Hamnet. Every time I close my eyes, I can still see his shining face and blue eyes. Jacobi is a child actor with chops – a rare find. He broke my heart, transcendent in his childish beauty and innocence, like a jewel or a star in the sky.
The crux of the story is how these two parents manage the nightmarish pain of the loss of their son. One turns to nature, the other to their art, which in turn rends them and their family apart.
Shakespeare is a playwright, and what are the arts for but to make sense out of senselessness and find meaning in our suffering. He takes the most powerful pain in human existence – the death of his child – and through the alchemy of the written word creates a healing experience for all. It has been our way since we first started gathering around campfires and began telling stories, taking the dross of daily life and transforming it through words, sounds, light, and actions. Shakespeare writes about the pain, transforming and elevating it into universal meaning.
Agnes hears that her husband, who has lived in London far from his family, writing/producing dramas, has created Hamlet, a play inspired by the loss of their son. Curious, she goes to the Globe theatre to see for herself. At first, she is outraged. Then, as she witnesses the way the entire crowd is moved and uplifted by the spectacle, she finally understands and is herself inspired.
The Rotten Tomatoes site gave it an 86% rating. When the final movie credits rolled, the audience sat, as one, without moving. The man beside me blew his nose. We each dried our eyes and finally stood. ‘No wonder it won so many awards,’ my friend said. No wonder indeed.
Happy Movie Viewing!
Talk to you later.
Keep reading!
Yvette Carol
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Breaking hearts and mending them in one fell swoop. ~ Rotten Tomatoes
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Yvette Carol, Author 
