Hamnet (Amazon Prime)
Hamnet deserves the awards it has received. It won the
Golden Globe for best picture. Chloe Zhao is nominated for an Oscar for best
director, and Jessie Buckley is nominated for best actress and is in strong
contention to win.
The film is about love, grief, and surviving both. William
and Agnes were passionate, and she became pregnant before marriage. When they
married, he was eighteen, and she was twenty-six. Their family grew with a daughter
and twins, Hamnet and Judith. Shakespeare’s successful career as an actor and a
playwright took him away from his home to London. During this absence, his
beloved son Hamlet dies of the plague. Hamlet's death burdens their marriage,
and her son's grief consumes Agnes.
Jessie Buckley as Agnes delivers an outstanding performance.
Her acting is powerful; her grief feels real. The death of Hamlet strains their
marriage, and she scolds William for being away when Hamlet dies. He also feels
devastated for not being home when Hamlet passed away. Her performance will
greatly boost the film's chances of winning Best Picture.
Besides Buckley, the cast is excellent. Paul Mescal plays
William Shakespeare. Besides sorrow, he conveys guilt. His performance is
nuanced. As a tribute to his son, he writes Hamlet. The film's highlight occurs
when Agnes watches the play and realizes how William feels about Hamnet’s
death. Mescal is not nominated for an Oscar and did not win the Golden Globe.
This snub contradicts his great performance.
The children were also great. Of note was Jacobi Jupe as
Hamnet. The young actor's interpretation of the role was nuanced.
For the Oscars, Hamlet has solid competition, but I give it
strong odds.
