Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestseller features mesmerising performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

England, 1580. Impoverished Latin tutor William Shakespeare meets free-spirited Agnes, and the pair, captivated by one another, strike up a torrid affair that leads to marriage and three children. Yet as Will pursues a budding theatre career in far-away London, Agnes anchors the domestic sphere alone. When tragedy strikes, the couple's once-unshakable bond is tested, but their shared experience sets the stage for the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, “Hamlet”.

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”, “The Rider”) comes a sensitively observed, magnificently crafted tale about the complexities of love and the healing power of art and creativity.

“A delicate exploration of how art can address (but never fully heal) personal pain, “Hamnet” is a potent love story anchored by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal’s expertly modulated performances. Where other films reduce the act of creation to a simplistic cause-and-effect scenario, “Hamnet” far more profoundly investigates how love and art shift in intensity and clarity over time.”

Tim Grierson, Screen Daily