The Dean of Cinema

Keep your heart open. The powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Chloé Zhao directs this compelling true story about the loss of William and Agnes Shakespeare’s child, Hamnet, from a script she co-wrote with Maggie O’Farrell, the author upon whose book the film was based. Hamnet was nominated for 8 Academy Awards at the 2026 ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Director for Zhao, Best Adapted Screenplay for Zhao and O’Farrell, and won Best Actress for Jessie Buckley’s dominant performance as Agnes Shakespeare.

From the very first frame Zhao and cinematographer Łukasz Żal fill the screen with gorgeous images of the forest and its lush green foliage. Agnes’s red dress pops against all the green and brown. It’s warm and inviting as William and Agnes begin their relationship and experience the joy of parenthood. As the film goes on, these rich tones and hues fade away into more muted, greying colors as William and Agnes suffer one of the worst losses a parent can experience.

The acting in the film is fantastic. The term “tour-de-force” gets thrown around pretty willy-nilly these days but Jessie Buckley as Agnes is well and truly worthy of the high praise. The guttural pain she inhabits is nothing short of heartbreaking to watch. Her desperation to keep her family safe and healthy in the face of poor circumstances. The acceptance of things in the end. It’s a story about the strength of a mother’s love and the lengths she will go for her family. In a crowded category filled with outstanding performances from the likes of Rose Byrne, Emma Stone, Kate Hudson, and Renate Reinsve, Jessie Buckley stands heads and shoulders above them all. Paul Mescal gives a well-crafted nuanced performance as William Shakespeare, who pours himself into his work to deal with tragedy, keeping his family at arms length while he works through his emotions.

Zhao and O’Farrell’s script is a breath of fresh air in an age of reboots, sequels, and superhero projects. Even against strong contenders like One Battle After Another, Train Dreams, Frankenstein, and Bugonia, Hamnet is one of the richest scripts of the bunch. A thoughtful examination of the human psyche when faced with tragedy and how people process the ensuing grief. It easily could have won in place of One Battle After Another. At its heart, it’s a film about love, loss, family, and the strength of the human spirit.

Zhao is one of my favorite directors working in the industry right now. She’s no stranger to the Academy Awards with her film Nomadland winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress in the 2021 ceremonies. She is a delight behind the camera and able to evoke memorable performances from the actors she works with and Hamnet is no different. It’s a well paced, beautiful film that pulls at your heartstrings. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Hamnet is one of the best films of 2025. An emotional, thoughtful look at a family’s struggle to deal with a senseless tragedy. A magnificent film worthy of the praise heaped upon it.

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