written by: Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell
produced by: Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg, and Sam Mendes
directed by: Chloé Zhao
rated: PG-13 (for thematic content, some strong sexuality, and partial nudity)
runtime: 126 min.
U.S. release date: November 26, 2025

A month before everything shut down in 2020, Chinese-born writer/director Chloé Zhao released “Nomadland”, which would become critically praised and quite a breakthrough feature for the filmmaker, earning Oscars the following year for Best Actress (for Frances McDormand), Best Director, and Best Picture. Coincidentally, Northern Irish novelist Maggie O’Farrell published Hamnet, a fictional account of William Shakespeare’s only son with Anne Hathaway, who died at age 11. The book would go on to earn a handful of year-end awards, and this year we have “Hamnet”, a film adaptation of the novel in theaters with a screenplay co-written by O’Farrell and Zhao, who also serves as director.

For Zhao, her fifth feature is a return to her indie roots (after her foray into the MCU with “Eternals” in 2021 didn’t get the reception Marvel/Disney hoped for), choosing a quieter, soul-searching study of grief and the healing powers of art. Zhou’s drama revels in raw, pulverizing emotion, and she is likely to have directed yet another actress to win an Oscar next year.

When we first meet William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), it’s 1580, and he’s a scruffy young man who goes by Will and is the furthest thing from The Bard. Neither of his parents, the stalwart Mary (Emily Watson) and abusive John (David Wilmot) Shakespeare, is confounded by their son’s love for “words, words, words”, failing to see how such a passion would build a lucrative future. Needless to say, they don’t understand his love for writing.

Will works as a tutor for a farm family in Stratford-upon-Avon (northwest of London), teaching the children Latin. He is struck by his pupil’s older sister, Agnes (Jessie Buckley), who is his age yet unlike anyone he’s ever met. There are rumors that she is the daughter of a forest witch, which only makes her more intriguing. It’s not just her scarlet dress that sets her apart from a community that all wear earth tones. Her wardrobe also reflects how she stands out from others. Agnes can often be found in the nearby forest, peacefully foraging for herbs and berries, and summoning a hawk with a falconry glove. That is how Will first sees her, and it is obviously something no other young woman is doing. She instantly beguiles Will, and while she’d rather commune with nature, experiencing feeling needed is something entirely new for her.

One day, he follows her back to her barn, where he learns her name, and they share a kiss. Agnes spends much of her time in a mysterious cave in the forest, and when William visits, she asks him to tell her a story. He recounts the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, a timeless tale of love, loss, and human frailty, which delights Agnes. However, when she holds his hand and foretells his future as something extraordinary, she also sees herself dying with two children.

Much to their parents’ chagrin, and Agnes’s brother Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn), the two marry after Agnes is proposed to in an unusual way. Actually, nothing is usual with these two. Agnes delivers their firstborn, Susanna (who will eventually be played by Bodhi Rae Breathnach), in the woods, and their family dynamic soon changes again with the arrival of twins, Judith (Olivia Lynes, known for winning on “Britain’s Got Talent”) and Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe). The big difference between these two births is Will’s location. He’s present for Susanna, but not for the twins.

After getting physically assaulted by his father for brushing off manual labor work, Will becomes creatively frustrated and restless. He’s unable to produce the kind of writing he’d like, and Agnes supports his idea of going to London to work on it, free from the creative restraints of his family. The actual labor involved in delivering the twins isn’t what anyone would call smooth, even for 1585. This time, Mary physically prevents Agnes from going out to the woods again to give birth, and no one in the room realizes that twins are on the way.

Buckley has been an incredible screen presence since audiences first encountered her in “Beast” in 2017, so anyone who’s been following her work since then shouldn’t be surprised by how great she is here. Still, this twin delivery scene is a powerful reminder that she’s one of the best actresses working today – and that’s not even the most emotional, sweat-inducing shouting scenes she performs in “Hamnet”. While Will goes on to become the most famous Shakespeare, in “Hamnet”, Agnes (and eventually their titular son) outshines The Bard in sheer, powerful forces of nature.

That said, young Jacobi Jupe, who is currently 12 years old, is absolutely tremendous as Hamnet. Not since Anna Paquin’s memorable role in Jane Campion’s “The Piano” have I seen such a confident, spot-on performance from someone so young. Jupe’s cherubic face silently speaks volumes in almost every scene he appears in, demonstrating an impressive grasp of craft.

O’Farrell and Zhao have fun with domestic life after the twins are born, providing playful space for the siblings to be children. We see their bond develop in scenes where they swap identities and act out one of their father’s plays for a captive audience. This connection is essential to what follows, as eight-year-old Hamnet makes a pivotal decision to help his sister, who is stricken with the plague. There are semi-fantastical moments present that deal with grief, loss, and death in “Hamnet” in necessary ways as an attempt at catharsis that are understandable. The mind makes up a different reality during traumatic times, especially extreme ones. The emotional weight of what transpires in the last hour feels like a tremendous load sitting on your chest.

When the plague takes Hamnet, the devastating, unthinkable loss cripples Agnes, and her relationship with William is shattered. So great is her grief that Agnes becomes paranoid about her connection to the earth, and William is wracked with guilt at not being present when his son died, pushing him to the brink of suicide. Instead, he channels his grief into art, working on a script that will somehow encompass all he has experienced.

If you haven’t already concluded, that is supposedly how the world received Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. “Supposedly” because it is, after all, historical fiction. “Hamnet” is so beautifully made and powerfully told that it really doesn’t matter what truth is. At least it didn’t for me.

Chloé Zhao’s films have always had a particular aesthetic style, often emphasizing the alluring, mystical quality of their natural surroundings. Yes, even “The Eternals” had this. If you notice the talent she collaborated with for “Hamnet”, you’ll see that these artists have proven themselves to be just as mindful as Zhao is about the environment that characters inhabit. Polish cinematographer Łukasz Żal has lensed visually provocative films such as “Ida” and “The Zone of Interest” and here he captures lush forests in meditative moments, close-ups of unfathomable loss, and surprisingly poignant overhead shots. These scenes are accentuated by the work of sound designer Johnnie Burn (an Oscar winner for his work on “The Zone of Interest”) and composer Max Richter (“Arrival” and “Ad Astra”), both of whom add to the film’s rich sensory experience. The work of these talents combined delivers a lush, unsettling, and, at times, overwhelming viewing experience.

But “Hamnet” will definitely be remembered for how it showcases Buckley’s talents. She’s hypnotic in every scene she’s in. The love and pain she conveys is heart-wrenching and utterly captivating. While Mescal is great as Young Shakespeare in Love – no other actor currently working today has become so ubiquitous with crying excellently and making viewers cry as well – throughout the movie, he essentially becomes an afterthought until the film’s final act.

What occurs in that extraordinary final act, where we see the debut of Hamlet (with the titular character played by Noah Jupe, Jacobi’s older brother) at London’s Globe theater, might make you rethink how you see Shakespeare’s well-known play, and especially the line, “the undiscovered country.” All of the emotions conveyed by William and Agnes have culminated in this powerfully tender coda.

Wherever the audience lands on Hamlet at the end of “Hamnet” may or may not have been The Bard’s intention, but none of that matters. After all, the film’s opening title card tells us that the names “Hamlet” and “Hamnet” were considered interchangeable back then. So, maybe Zhao is providing more similarities between her work of art and the one that has been around forever. Considering how the film ends on an appropriately graceful and poetic note, that point is made.

RATING: ***1/2