Movie Number 7 of 2026
The Movie: Hamnet
The Cinema: Hoyt Victoria Gardens
Runtime: Two hours, five minutes
Stars: 5
"But you've seen this already!" I hear you cry.
Yes, and I've even reviewed it - the first five-star review of the year.
Sometimes, it's good see a film for a second time with different people. You gather more information and insights. You get to appreciate some things you might have missed the first-time round or get reminded of the details which you loved - picking up more details of the screenwriter, director and actors' craft.
I've had a two-week break between viewings. I've taken in some of the online reviews and had some time to think. Was the film emotionally manipulative? Umm, well, have you read the book? Do you know the loose story of Shakespeare's family situation? Have you ever been around anybody who's lost a child? (Heavens, I truly hope not). Aren't people going to find it all a bit depressing? (Again, read the bloody book!)
I must say, it was just as good the second time around. Everything I said in the first review stands.
Now, as most people who are going to see it in the theatres have seen it, I'll add a few more takeaways from today's viewing.
Please also remember, I've just finished Jodi Picoult's By Any Other Name, a book which looks at an alternative telling of how Shakespeare's plays came about. Shakespeare is a fairly minor character in the book, which jostles between modern times and Elizabethan England in his own right. Great book. But I've got a bit of Shakespeare running through me at the moment.
Anyway, what did I notice on this second viewing? What got me?
So much.
The muck. The dirty fingernails. The fact that nobody looked clean. The rain on the cobblestones waiting to twist your ankles. The water from the river lapping at the hallway. The scenes in the forest. Magic.
Jessie Buckley's performance and how she was 100% present in every frame of the film. If you've not seen Jessie Buckley before, she was amazing in Wicked Little Letters and Wild Rose.
I loved seeing Paul Mescal as a father once again. As Shakespeare, his softness was appreciated.
And Joe Alwyn as Agnes' brother. Bartholomew - trying not to remember that he was once Taylor Swift's boyfriend. Okay, that might not be a good thing, but he's not bad in this role.
The small references to Shakespeare's plays, not just the big references, but the smaller quotes and asides that you hear are most wonderful. The normal layman won't twig, and that's okay too.
Looking at it with fresh eyes, seeing how Agnes was treated in the village was interesting. A woman skilled in healing, she was branded as a witch by association. Of course, I felt that one. Agnes is a quiet powerhouse. Human, vulnerable, but incredibly strong.
I loved that the boy playing Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) had is brother on stage playing Hamlet (Noah Jupe). They look like brothers. They are brothers in real life.
The "Get thee to an nunnery!" speech, performed near the end of the film, was loaded like no other scene. Mescal, like Buckley, are both graduates of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). You can see their skill.
And I loved most of all, the scenes at the end of the film that took place at The Globe Theatre. And I realise how much I miss having the Pop Up Globe here in Melbourne, and being able to see Shakespeare regularly, like I did in London. It's a near cellular ache. Those scenes are magic.
The only people I wouldn't recommend this film to is to those who have experienced the loss of a child. I fear it would cut far too close to the bone.
Otherwise, I reckon Jessie Buckley has the Best Actress in the bag and there's a good chance Hamnet may win Best Oscar and Best Director for Chloe Zhao.
It's worth seeing on the big screen. (And read the bloody book for crying out loud - it's amazing.)
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