Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet moves audiences with its profound emotional truth

The film, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, reimagines the life of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley), and the loss of their 11-year-old son. Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel, Zhao’s version shifts the spotlight away from Elizabethan pomp and into the quiet rhythms of rural life — bees, trees and fleeting glances — where sorrow and love take centre stage.

What does grief look like on screen? In Hamnet, Chloé Zhao offers an answer both tender and devastating

At its heart are two extraordinary performances. Buckley embodies Agnes with a grief so raw it feels elemental, while Mescal’s Shakespeare carries a quieter, more internal devastation. Together, their chemistry turns history into something deeply human. The effect is heightened by Max Richter’s haunting score and Łukasz Żal’s luminous cinematography, which captures landscapes and faces with painterly intimacy.

Critics at TIFF have called Hamnet one of the most emotionally powerful films of the year, with some describing it as “the most devastating movie I’ve seen in years.” Zhao herself admitted that even she was caught off guard by its impact, once asking mid-process, “Why are you making me cry?” Her direction invites audiences to sit with silence, to share in moments of breath and reflection.

Though deeply sad, the film never feels exploitative. Instead, it reveals how grief can become art, and how art can turn pain into meaning. By its overwhelming finale, Hamnet achieves a sense of transcendence that lingers long after the credits roll.

With awards buzz already building, Focus Features will release the film in the US on 27 November, followed by a wider rollout from 12 December. It will also open the Mill Valley Film Festival in October, where Buckley will be honoured for her performance.

In Hamnet, Zhao doesn’t just revisit Shakespeare’s family story — she transforms private loss into a universal meditation on love, memory and the fragile ways we keep the departed alive.

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