Hamnet

"To die, to sleep, perchance to dream."

Deeply aching, cathartic and artful, Hamnet is a powerful showcase of tender restraint and heartfelt sorrow with a soulfully embodied pairing of Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal under the sensitive direction of Chloé Zhao in a masterfully natural and beautifully healing work. 

Discussion Points:

The human heart is capable of feeling a multitude of layered, ever shifting emotions - each deeply engrained and interwoven amidst life’s chapters and challenges. We can possess both great pain and sorrow beside great joy and triumph - and in Hamnet, Chloe Zhao’s adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s historical fiction novel of the same name with the same heart. Together lens and words meld to paint a tapestry of the human experience of grief and loss, particularly that of parents and children, and the way that art provides opportunity for catharsis and healing. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are mesmerising as they swirl around each other with deep attraction and love, but unable to shield each other from the pains that cannot be avoided in this world and Emily Watson tries to shield her daughter in law from the pain she’s endured. And young Jacobi Jupe is stunning with such tender innocence. Together, they all break your heart as their hearts are broken, and they bind your heart back together as theirs steadily heal. It’s a visually stunning film as well with lush natural landscapes, humble period recreations and beautiful cinematography all accompanied by Max Richter’s tender score. Easily of the decades best films - an open hearted catharsis for all who desire to feel deeply connected and be deeply known.