By Joel Williams 11/10/25 at London Film Festival

Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley in “Hamlet” Photo Credit: Focus Features LLC

“Hamnet” is a fictional account of the life and family of Agnes and William Shakespeare, a tale of love and life that leads to tragedy and the writing of one of the most famous plays of all time.

Directed by Academy award winner Chloe Zhao, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in the roles of Agnes and William. “Hamnet” is based off the fictional novel of the same name released in 2020 written by Maggie O’Farrell.

Hard to describe exactly the emotions I was feeling as I left the theatre for this. As a kid you learn Shakespeare but it’s not something that is easy to learn or understand the complex intricacies of his writing and the emotions that quite clearly guide it. When I was 15 there was life I hadn’t experienced yet and the desire to know Shakespeares point of view of writing wasn’t there at the time. As you grow older there’s a much deeper appreciation for the experiences you have in life and I think this story perfectly encapsulates the motivations and differences in how people grieve and what their emotions are invested into. Watching the first half and seeing the life experiences of this family and then to see the differences in how Agnes and William experience loss gives you such a greater understanding an appreciation for the work of Hamlet. Don’t be fooled though this is very much Jessie Buckley’s film.

Jessie Buckley in “Hamlet” Photo Credit: Focus Features LLC

At its core there lies a beauty in the landscapes and images of this film. Producer of this film Steven Spielberg introduced Chloe Zhao onto stage at the gala screening here at the London Film Festival and described her in such a beautiful way. He stated that he believes that ‘the earth has a  heartbeat. It’s a 24-second seismic cycle.’ And that ‘Chloe Zhao is connected to it in a profound way’. A sentiment that feels so real and true when you watch this film, the world around our central character and the forest especially feels like a character in itself, with it’s own heartbeat and story to tell. Cinematographer Łukasz Żal does a wonderful job of balancing the visual storytelling with carefully selected shots of the world around the characters and the close, emotional sequences both he and Chloe want us to focus on and keep the lens on the raw scenes of acting that takes centre stage.

It felt like there was a close correlation between that of the cinematography and the score composed by Max Richter. Again guiding the story through but giving us time to breathe with our leads and put the acting as the focal point before again pushing the story along. A question I wondered if he’d use this knowing Max Richter was composing was the needle drop of one of my personal favourite pieces of composed music, that of “On the Nature of Daylight” which was used perfectly at the end to really nail home the cathartic experience it felt many of us in the theatre were having by this point. A score that felt purposeful to the story and not just there for the sake of being a score enhances this experience in more ways than one.

At the centre of it all is an absolute powerhouse of a performance by Jessie Buckley. Raw, captivating, Buckley is a marvel. From the opening with her standoffish but intrigued demeanour towards William, to the joy she shows with her family and then the gut-wrenching and powerful cries and wails. You feel what she feels, there’s an innate understanding you get as an  audience member of the character of Agnes, everything is so real it’s like looking through a window with no barrier in-between. Mescal delivers a different style of performance, nuanced and smaller in scale but with powerful deliverance of William’s state of emotions which all comes to head in the climax. Our lead performances are surrounded by young actors performances that elevate the film to a higher level. Hamnet played by Jacobi Jupe, the central character in the tragedy of this film, portrays him with innocence and sincerity that gives the emotional punches an even harder hit as we see not only his admiration for his father but his disappointment for leaving. This anchors the introduction of Noah Jupe as Hamlet in the utterly captivating culmination of the film. A performance worth talking about, fully embracing and performing pure Shakespeare but with the built up story we have just had in the previous hour and a half you couldn’t take your eyes off the screen. Shakespeare is complex writing with themes difficult to dissect but every actor portrays them with such grace and commitment that it flows beautifully and you just garner an understanding.

Photo Credit: Focus Features LLC

‘To be or not to be’ a quote spoken so expertly by our lead William in a time of need, opens up the questions of what this really entails. A line that has become synonymous with literature and endures conversations daily about the true meaning of the line. The scene in question feels like William speaking directly to us the audience vulnerably and in pain, but the beauty in writing is what we take from it and the line stays as the audience contemplates it’s personal meaning to them individually. Film that sticks with you will forever be regarded highly and the allure of film is that we as individuals will take something completely different and be touched in a variety of ways. This piece of work is no different and is one I am excited to see again but also to have a wide release for people to experience it for themselves.

Releases in UK cinemas January 9th 2026