TIFF 2025: Hamnet Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Academy-award winner Chloe Zhao returns with her latest film, the much-hyped Hamnet. Slated to be her comeback to the awards scene, following the misfire that was The Eternals, adapting the powerful book of the same name along with its original author, Maggie O’Farrell. Hamnet is the story of Agnes (Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Mescal), one a healer, the other a writer, and how an unfortunate family tragedy inspired one of his most notorious works, ‘Hamlet.’ Following the death of their son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), the story becomes one of grief, and how Agnes and William process their grief in their own way. That grief, however, would prove difficult to contend with, threatening cause an even deeper rift between the couple and creating a jumping off point for a deeper exploration of Agnes and William as they struggle to interpret their collective grief.

A heavy watch, it should have a disclaimer before it as the raw emotion contained on screen will be triggering to audiences who have experienced loss and grief. Zhao’s direction is astonishing, while the cinematography is lush and detailed, and blocked to perfection. She has consistently proven that she knows how to handle her subject matter in such a naturalistic way. On the other side, while the film’s period dialog could create a barrier for some audiences, this film approaches its late 16th century setting in an engaging way.

Above all else, the film undisputedly belongs to Buckley who, as Agnes, delivers a career-best performance, and one that will inevitably be in the conversation come this award season. How she harnesses emotion throughout the film is as phenomenal as it is heartbreaking, highlighting the depth of Agnes’ pain. Meanwhile, Buckley nails the story’s more subtle moments, pulling audiences into her plight, suffering essentially alone as she felt somewhat neglected by her husband. Meanwhile, Mescal delivers his own career best performance as William, an emotionally guarded man who uses his art to express his inner grief. The way this film constructs the way that art- rather it be film, music or stage can convey the harshest parts of the human condition, and help audiences come to terms, and even learn from it, is one of the most poignant parts of the film. Above all else is a reminder of how important this art form is.

At the end of the day, Hamnet marks an astonishing feat. Though the furthest thing from a ‘feel good movie’, audiences will be better served being ready for the emotional onslaught that awaits them. Despite the emotional damage that is sure to follow, it is a film worth seeing on the big screen. So authentic in its emotions, watching it basically becomes a near therapeutic experience for audiences. In a way, the more calming and tranquil nature of how the film unfolds makes it all the more effective in its messaging. Not spelling out how it wants audiences to feel, it rather allows them to experience its roller coaster of emotions in real time alongside its characters. A slow and melodic rumination that may be hard to sit through at times, it is a terrific feat that, if anything, firmly places writer-director Chloe Zhao back on the map.

still courtesy of Focus Features

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Brett Schutt

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