Hamnet

Stunning … . frankly stunning.

I am the least person whose algorithm would show up a Shakespearean fiction drama, I persisted once I saw the awards.

Mescal is all in here, everything is on point, huge resurrection post Gladiator.

But Jessie Buckley is other wordly, the guttural scream in childbirth, the unrecognisable grief of loss, there are performances and then there's this . . . from a women who normally looks like she'd want to bate you with a hurl if you looked at her wrong this is transcendent. I make no apology for the obvious hyperbole that this is DDL level, with no excuses.

Huge shoutout for the direction & child performances, believed in it all.

Overall, 5/5 stars

The Sunday Times gave it a really s####y review today.

It's based on a book by an Irish writer also.

We really are a nation of storytellers.

No it's not in fairness. Actors portray different nationalities all the time.

Can't wait to see it. Funny thing a few online reviews, esp. British ones got really caught up in the Anne /Agnes and the Hamnet/Hamlet interchangeability. They gave most of the reviews about those and the possibility that the tragedy inspired the play Hamlet.

Seriously missed the point.

If I was a cynic I would say that some of the British critics who gave it negative reviews are a bit peeved that a movie about Shakespeare has two Irish leads and also a non-British director.

But I'm not, so I won't :-)

Hamnet – 8/10

The pacing is questionable and I’m not a huge fan of this fetish for natural lighting that dominates modern cinematography, though I do concede that it all works in service of a thrilling, tear-jerker of a final act.

Jessie Buckley is the standout, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her win the Oscar, though by all accounts she has stiff competition from Rose Byrne.

There’s no denying that this is solid piece of work from Chloé Zhao, it just lacks a bit of visual flair.

Finally got to see this yesterday.

Overall I enjoyed it but like other posters I found it had flaws.

The main highlight of the movie is Buckley. Her performance is spectacular and for me worth a cinema visit alone. She manages to portray raw emotion but at the same time remain controlled. Mescal is also impressive but for me his character of Shakespeare(not Mescal's portrayal but how he is created) just didn't seem like the writing genius would be in day to day life.

For me though, despite these fine performances, the film does not reach the heights many reviews have given it. I found it tries too hard to link the event with Hamnet to Hamlet, so much that they tell you at the very start that the name Hamnet at the time was interchangeable with Hamlet. Also the method used to show how a grieving Shakespeare was inspired to write the most famous speech in English language history was just difficult to believe. I don't think it would be so bad if the movie made it clear that the story was mostly fiction but it's trying to portray it as a true story that makes me view it otherwise.

The final act does pack an emotional punch that will impact many but for me the audience reaction at the play was a bit overwrought and schmaltzy despite me enjoying the connection between Agnes and Shakespeare from the point of view of their relationship.

So for me, to echo Eamon Dunphy, it's a good film but not a great one but is worth a viewing for the performance and I look forward to Buckley's Oscar speech as she really is a talent.

Went to see it with the good Mrs who was anxious to see it. I knew going by the trailer I'd struggle with it and I have to say it wasn't great (maybe that's just me). Buckley is good in it though although not sure she was as good as we are hearing on the radio/tv shows recently. I'd give it a 2 out of 5 but the Mrs thought it was a 3