"Hamnet" : A review

 “Hamnet” . A review.

It is remarkable to observe how a young man behaves before a maid and how a young woman opens her heart to the man she loves. From the very first meeting, William and Agnes lose themselves in each other, bound by curiosity, desire, and a quiet understanding that grows into a profound love.

 Director and screenwriter  Chloé Zhao, adapting Maggie O’Farrell’s novel ‘Hamnet’, elevates this romance to lyrical heights. The film does not merely tell a love story; it immerses us in the emotional world of two young people discovering intimacy, partnership, and destiny in a harsh and uncertain time.

 When tragedy strikes the married couple through the death of their third child, Hamnet, the tone of the film shifts into aching sorrow. Agnes is raw and unrestrained in her grief. She does not hide her pain and openly accuses William of not being present when their son died. Her sorrow is loud, physical, and deeply human. William, on the other hand, absorbs this grief in silence. He accepts her accusations without protest, carrying his own suffering inwardly.

 Yet William’s grief is neither small nor brief. It burns within him for years, eventually finding expression in words. The film beautifully shows how the great writer, William Shakespeare, transforms his personal anguish into art. Through this transformation, we witness how pain becomes poetry and how private loss becomes universal emotion. The audience is given a rare opportunity to see how Shakespeare’s heartache shaped the words that would later break and heal countless hearts across generations.

 Agnes’s closeness to nature, her pagan beliefs, and her instinctive understanding of life and death are captured with great sensitivity. These elements blend seamlessly with Chloé Zhao’s direction and Lukasz Zal’s luminous cinematography, which paints the countryside as both nurturing and cruel. Nature speaks through Max Richter’s music and becomes a witness to love, loss, and survival.

 However, the film does drag at certain moments. Its slow pacing may test the patience of some viewers through the two hours screen time, and without the fine ending and the realistic depiction of the period, the emotional impact might have been weaker. Still, the authenticity of the setting and the sincerity of the performances save it from becoming indulgent.

 “Keep your heart open” is the central message the film offers to the world — a reminder that love and grief coexist, and that closing oneself to pain also closes one’s capacity for love. This message is made powerful by the moving performances of  Jessie Buckley  and Paul Mescal, who lead the cast with natural, restrained, and deeply affecting portrayals.

 In the end, ‘Hamnet’ is not just a story about Shakespeare’s son; it is a meditation on love, loss, and the alchemy of suffering into art. It lingers in the mind long after the light fades on the screen.