Hamnet (Chloe Zhao, 2025, USA/UK)
After a side trek into the Marvel universe with Eternals, Hamnet represents a return to form for director Chloe Zhao, who got her start with more sensitive dramas like Nomadland . Based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell and co-written by her, the film mixes historical fact with historical speculation to tell the story of William Shakespeare’s personal life. Shakespeare himself, played by Paul Mescal, is somewhat of a secondary character in this story, with the main acting heft going to Jessie Buckley as his wife, Anne Hathaway. The film is largely a domestic drama that surrounds Anne and William’s tempestuous relationship, from their first courtship to the tragedy that befalls their family. Spoiler alert: there has been much speculation about the death of Shakespeare’s son Hamnet, and the potential relationship to his play Hamlet . Zhao’s film assumes a direct connection between these two events, with the grief of Hamnet’s death contributing directly to the grief and existential anguis...
