Almost every high schooler in the United States reads Shakespeare in their English classroom, and when they do, they’ll inevitably get the crash course on William Shakespeare and the basic facts of his life. He was a man who lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in the late 16th to early 17th century; he had a wife and two kids; and he was a renowned poet and playwright whose work remains widely heralded to this day.
Few deign to dive deeper into the man’s life outside his famous fiction, but “Hamnet,” the 2025 film and Best Picture nominee directed by Chloé Zhao and based on the novel by Maggie O’Ferrel, is the exception. It centers Agnes, based on Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway, and her life and grief.
Perhaps Hamnet’s most striking choice is the decision to never say William Shakespeare’s full name until the final act of the play, instead opting to call him Will. Will (Paul Mescal), not Shakespeare, is the man Agnes (Jessie Buckley) along with the audience, meets in the beginning and falls in love with. It is Will who she marries, Will who she raises two children with, and Will who she argues with about his work-life balance.
This move throws the movie, which is purported to be about Shakespeare and his wife, off kilter for first-time viewers who are left waiting two acts for the other shoe to drop. Conversely, it also lets the film breathe.
Without the constant reminder of Shakespeare’s reputation and work, the audience is able to engross themselves in Agnes’ life instead. The first two acts of the movie feel almost pedestrian, simple and wandering. This family, for all Shakespere’s literary significance, is ordinary and loving.
Throughout both acts, the movie finds a beauty in the mundane, emphasizing the love Agnes is able to find in the life she has created for herself. Agnes’ relationship with Will, though obviously consequential, is not the focus, but merely a part of the wider portrait of a complex woman grasping onto happiness.
For eagle-eyed “Hamlet” lovers, “Hamnet” does attempt to sneak in connections to the famous Shakespearean play. Agnes’ superstitions and plant folk remedies, taught to her children and shown in the moments in between lines, are the same sayings “Hamlet”’s female lead Ophelia repeats in the play. In a touching father-son scene, Will teaches Hamnet the blocking of a swordfight found almost beat-for-beat in his famous play “Othello.”
Zhao’s effort in this regard—to make a historical fiction movie which is in conversation with both the fictional Shakespearean plays and the true life of Shakespeare—is both successful and profoundly impressive. In the shadow of such culturally impactful works of art, it’s almost impossible to appease every audience, but Zhao is able to give fans of Shakespeare’s plays the nod without forcing the connection down the throats of viewers not seeking it out.
That is, Zhao is able to execute this balance until the play’s last act. In the wake of Hamnet’s death, Agnes is so angry with Will for leaving Stratford-upon-Avon to continue his work that she goes to London herself to confront him. While there, she watches a production of his newest play, “Hamlet,” and is moved to tears as she watches her husband’s grief acted out onstage.
This sequence, which is incredibly touching, is also the movie’s Achilles’ heel. It drags on, sometimes without direction, and is prone to moving the film from historical fiction and into a historical reflection. Zhao indulges in her depiction of “Hamlet” to the point that the film loses focus of the story and feels like it’s trying too hard to convince viewers that “Hamlet” is the product of Shakespeare’s grief.
There are moments in this final act of the movie that shine, particularly when they look away from the production of “Hamlet” and instead towards Agnes’ reaction to the play. As she watches, Agnes is able to directly confront her grief, reaching out towards the actor of “Hamlet” as though he is the son she lost. She realizes why her husband had to leave, why the plays were so important to him, and that he feels the same grief she does. At those points, which are briefer than they should be and interspersed throughout the production of “Hamlet,” Zhao is able to find her grip on the magic she found in the first two acts.
The biggest contributor towards this magic must be Buckley, who characterizes Agnes as fully formed, complex, and conflicting, without having to take viewers through every aspect of the character; with Buckley, you trust her intimate understanding of Agnes. There are points where Buckley’s performance does not feel like acting. Her raw emotions are so poignant that they sell the entire movie without effort.
Mescal is also standout, delivering a somewhat understated Shakespeare who is still able to fill the shoes of a grander-than-life man. Though Mescal is not up for any awards this Sunday, his performance is able to ground the movie in the reality of Shakespeare’s life, a task easier said than done.
With these performances and this striking piece about grief, it’s no wonder “Hamnet” was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It is also, however, no wonder whether the movie will win. “Hamnet” takes too much time to wander and too little time with its central plot to compete with the likes of “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another,” or even “Marty Supreme.” This doesn’t mean it’s not a good movie, not by any means, just that it’s a movie trying to connect with the viewer emotionally first and tell a story second. Its odds for its other nominations—Best Actress and Best Director, to name a few—seem both far more likely and far more fitting.
“Hamnet” does not need to win Best Picture to be a must-watch. For anyone who found “Hamlet” interesting in high school, who has struggled with grief, or who simply appreciates a well-directed, beautiful movie, “Hamnet” is two hours well spent.
