Hamnet

Hamnet is a film that asks a powerful question “how does art come from tragedy and how does that art help us heal?” The film tells the story of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal, excellent) and wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley in an oscar worthy performance) as they fall in love and have three children one of whom is a little boy named Hamnet when tragedy strikes and the relationship begins to splinter William begins to mount a new very personal play that will change everything. Hamnet is a deeply emotional film that requires an open heart but earns it with a truly powerful film with a doozy of a third act. Director Chloe Zhao is a master at tactile realism and she makes us feel every inch of the environment and the people within it. The cynical will reject Hamnet with the dreaded “Oscar bait” label but sometimes those films can transcend those trappings to be truly great, Hamnet is one of those films. 

I Give It 5 Stars!!!