‘Hamnet’ Review: The Best Film of the Year

The following review was made possible by Popped attending a Press and Industry Screening of Hamnet at the London Film Festival.

Loss and grief are something virtually everyone will experience at some point in their life, but translating the experience to film can be a tricky task. It all relies on a lot of aspects in order for it to feel real. The script needs to be believable; the performances need to be multi-dimensional, and the director needs to be competent in their understanding of the process.

What, or Who is ‘Hamnet’?

Based upon Maggie O’Farrell’s historical fiction novel, Hamnet takes a look at how Agnes and William Shakespeare might’ve dealt with the loss of their son Hamnet in 1596, and how it may have led to the inspiration of William’s tragedy, Hamlet. Academy Award-nominated Irish duo, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, take the stage as England’s National Poet and his wife, Agnes. We follow the two from their first meeting to the premiere of Hamlet at the original Globe Theatre, covering over a decade of their personal and independent lives. We see William grow from a glove maker to a playwright and Agnes grow a steady homelife for their three children. Unfortunately, much like his later works, tragedy strikes the household, leading to the death of their only son, Hamnet.

Hamnet could have been many things. OSCAR-bait is one of them; melodramatic nonsense is another, but Hamnet is a striking tour de force of drama, unlike most other movies of 2025. There is no OSCAR-bait here because Chloé Zhao has crafted a masterpiece worthy of winning OSCARS. It’s incredibly easy for me to say that Hamnet is my favourite movie of the year, proudly taking the number one spot on my Letterboxd list. And that should be no surprise to anyone considering the director is Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, The Rider), an expert in crafting about the human condition, Hamnet sits comfortably in her repertoire as not only the latest addition, but the best addition. Yes, Hamnet isn’t going to be for everybody, and many have already voiced their negative opinions on it – some may even find it boring, but I found Hamnet to be a well-written and brilliantly directed film, and it is worth giving it a shot, even if historical dramas aren’t you’re cup of tea. Zhao takes what could’ve been a dull, OSCAR-bait affair into one that’s not only interesting to watch but an emotional ride for all.

The Jessie Buckley (and Friends) Show

Hamnet is a feast of terrific performances. It’s an ensemble piece where everyone on screen gives it everything they’ve got in the little time they’re given. Within Nina Gold’s casting net, you’ve got the likes of Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, David Wilmot and Noah Jupe, among many others. There’s not much time allocated to the supporting cast since Zhao keeps a strict focus within the Shakespeare household, though characters come and go, there are plenty of performances that will stick with you, Noah Jupe being one of them. Jupe lingers in the background for a portion of the movie until he takes centre stage in the finale as a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, playing Hamlet during the 1600/01 premiere. As someone who often forgets child actors grow up, Jupe’s performance is a far cry different from his appearance in the Quiet Place series. Taking on his natural English accent, Jupe monologue is pitch-perfect and his delivery and projection is theatre-crisp, and is perfectly matched with Jessie Buckley. Jupe’s appearance is fleeting but convincing enough that it made me think he should immediately do stage work.

Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Jacobi Jupe and Olivia Lynes make up the trio of Shakespeare children, with the latter two playing twins Hamnet and Judith. As you’ve probably guessed by the title, Hamnet is the titular character, though he is not the lead. Though our time with him is short, once he’s gone, you’ll miss him almost as much as his family does. Together, Jacobi and Olivia Lynes make for convincing twins. Their kinship, charisma and happy-go-lucky nature are some of the more chirpier moments in the film, which makes Hamnet’s death all the more brutal. Breathnach has the least to do as the eldest child of William and Agnes. Her role is so small that you may forget that the Shakespeares have a teenage daughter. But within her relatively small role, Breathnach does such a good job with what little she’s hired to do, and it’s a shame to see most of her role (presumably) left to the cutting room floor.

Paul Mescal stars as William Shakespeare in a lead-supporting role. You can’t go wrong with Paul Mescal (at least as far as I’ve seen) because he once again proves himself to be a more than accomplished actor, seemingly able to slip into any pair of shoes (or gloves) and bring that character to life with such ease that he may as well be the character. The Bard is no different. While a character like Shakespeare is up to interpretation due to our lack of historical documentation on him and his family, Mescal brings a side to William that we seldom see – a more human portrayal of William. The movie doesn’t put a focus on William’s plays until the latter part of the movie, so for the most part we see William as a family man, and with the loss of his son partway through the movie, Hamnet almost feels like an Aftersun role-reversal but with a more direct (though no-less meaningful) character-defining death. At only 29-years-old, Paul Mescal has shown us that he has the talent and charm of a seasoned veteran actor, and Hamnet is no exception. It’s another credit under his belt that he should be proud of, as he should also be for creating what could be the sexiest William Shakespeare ever put to screen.

And then there is Jessie Buckley. Like many, I’ve watched her come a long way. First on the public radar on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s reality series, I’d Do Anything, which searched for three Oliver Twists and a Nancy to lead the 2009 revival of Lionel Bart’s Oliver!. Finishing second, Buckley has gone on to become one of the most famous and successful Nancys. If only I could go back in time and put money that the young up-and-comer would go on to win an Academy Award – of course, at this present moment, she’s only a nominee (for Netflix’s The Lost Daughter), but I’m throwing my hat in the Jessie Buckley ring by saying that she is going to win an OSCAR ring. Despite the title, this is very much Jessie Buckley’s movie. Not only is Buckley the best actor in the movie, no disrespect to her impeccable cast members, but Buckley hits all the right notes and watching her show off just how good she is at acting is as enjoyable as it is heartbreaking. No matter what Agnes is up to and no matter how she feels, you feel every ounce of her emotion oozing from the screen in a truly four-dimensional powerhouse performance. And her final scene opposite Noah Jupe needs to be seen to be experienced properly.

Living and Breathing Shakespeare

As believable as the performances are, so is the world, which has been expertly brought to life. Malgosia Turzanska’s costumes are simple yet dripping with detail, and Fiona Crombie’s production design helps you step right into the sixteenth century. Many often confuse Shakespeare’s era as being part of the Medieval Ages (he is not), and his world is often portrayed as dirty and vicious. Zhao crafts a more realistic interpretation of the English Renaissance. We don’t have to watch Londoners trudge through streets of shit, and the characters’ clothes aren’t always slicked with mud. Believe it or not, humans from the past enjoyed being clean too! And it’s the little things like this that helped the world seem more realistic to me. The world actually seemed like a place where real people lived, worked and died. I’m not one hundred per cent sure what sets were built specifically for the movie, but Hamnet makes it look and feel real, especially the characters’ homes.

Hamnet is not historically accurate in any way; in fact, we don’t know how Hamnet died in real life. The film, as is the book on which it’s based, is a work of historical fiction proposing how Agnes and William reacted to the death of their only son, and how their grief affected their relationship. An interesting focal point has to be the opposing ways in which Agnes and William process their grief. Agnes, whose grief is a private family affair, and William, who uses his talent as a playwright to create artwork for profit and public consumption. Is Agnes in the right? Did William do something morally wrong? These are all questions left for the audience to answer, with the emotions of the characters guiding us to our own conclusion.

‘Hamnet’ – Final Thoughts

Not only is Hamnet Chloe Zhao’s best film, Hamnet is the best film of the year, with down-to-earth performances that feel out-of-this-world; a realistic script which also serves as a fascinating character study on love, loss, grief and all the emotions that accompany it. As someone who has lost both parents, I personally found Hamnet to be an accurate depiction of the complicated process, from the first reactions to death to the seemingly random outpouring of grief and all the way down to how some use their negative feelings to create art that others can enjoy. Don’t be shocked if you see Hamnet at the OSCARS – it deserves to be there and it deserves to win!

Hamnet releases in UK cinemas on January 9, 2026. Check out a trailer below: