Video Movie Review: HAMNET (2025): Chloé Zhao’s Historical Drama Explained

HAMNET (2025) movie review, Oscar-winning drama explained, and critical analysis.

Directed by Chloé Zhao‘. Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, Jacobi Jupe, Jack Shalloo, and David Wilmot.

Plot Synopsis:

In William Shakespeare’s day, the names Hamlet & Hamnet were interchangeable. The newest film by Chloé Zhao uses that context as the basis for a tender exploration of Shakespeare’s domestic life, connecting a family tragedy to one of his most famous works. Maybe we can better understand Hamlet, Zhao suggests, if we consider that it was developed while the most famous writer in the Western canon was mourning the death of his 11-year-old son, Hamnet.

Based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet’s main character isn’t The Bard — played here by an impressive Paul Mescal — or even the child who gives the film its name. Hamnet belongs to Agnes – Shakespeare’s thoughtful wife, played by an enthralling Jessie Buckley, who bathes the film in her warmth. Many historical accounts preface reports of Hamnet’s death with statistics about how common child mortality was in the 16th century, as though it barely made an impact. Hamnet rejects that premise, showing Shakespeare not as a distant, untouchable genius but as a real man whose literary prowess was irrevocably impacted by his domestic [family] life.

What This Review Covers:

– Buckley and Mescal standout, grief-filled performances
– The drama about loss and survival Zhao crafts
– Contrasting family pain with artistic calling
– The ending: tragic but healing