{"id":2009253,"date":"2025-09-09T16:22:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T16:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2009253"},"modified":"2025-09-09T16:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T16:22:08","slug":"hamnet-with-paul-mescal-is-one-of-the-best-most-gut-punching-movies-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/hamnet-with-paul-mescal-is-one-of-the-best-most-gut-punching-movies-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Hamnet&#8217; with Paul Mescal is one of the best, most gut-punching movies of the year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F09%2Fnewspress-collage-s6wz8cjhg-1757367323969.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261757352975\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--review alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n\t\t<span class=\"inline-module--review__eyebrow subsection-heading-semi__label\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tmovie review\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"inline-module--review__title subsection-heading-semi\">\n\t\t\tHAMNET\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"rating\">\n<div class=\"rating__stars\">\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rating__star rating__star--filled\"><?php \/**\n * Review star.\n * \n * @package nyp-editor\n *\/\n\n??><\/p>\n<style><![CDATA[\n\t.review-block-star {\n\t\t--review-block-star--empty-color: #585858;\n\t\t--review-block-star--fill-color: #000;\n\t}\n]]><\/style>\n<p><svg class=\"icon-star review-block-star\" stroke=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\" fill=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\" stroke-width=\"0\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 16\" height=\"13px\" width=\"13px\">\n\t<defs>\n\t\t<lineargradient id=\"half-gradient\">\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"50%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--fill-color)\"\/>\n\t\t\t<stop stop-opacity=\"1\" offset=\"0%\" stop-color=\"var(--review-block-star--empty-color)\"\/>\n\t\t<\/lineargradient>\n\t<\/defs>\n\t<path d=\"M3.612 15.443c-.386.198-.824-.149-.746-.592l.83-4.73L.173 6.765c-.329-.314-.158-.888.283-.95l4.898-.696L7.538.792c.197-.39.73-.39.927 0l2.184 4.327 4.898.696c.441.062.612.636.283.95l-3.523 3.356.83 4.73c.078.443-.36.79-.746.592L8 13.187l-4.389 2.256z\">\n\t<\/path>\n<\/svg>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Running time: 127 minutes. In theaters Nov. 27.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>TORONTO \u2014 There is a breathtaking moment at the end of \u201cHamnet,\u201d the tear factory that had its Canadian premiere Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival.<\/p>\n<p>Without robbing you of the startling, rich satisfaction of experiencing it, know that a young mother, played by the transcendent Jessie Buckley, comes to terms with unfathomable loss by extending a gesture that no moviegoer with blood in their veins will be able to shake for a long, long time.<\/p>\n<p>In less capable hands than Oscar-winning \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/02\/18\/nomadland-review-frances-mcdormand-showboats\/\">Nomadland<\/a>\u201d director Chloe Zhao, the scene could have been cheesy, odd or shamelessly sentimental. But the earthy move is none of those things. It\u2019s the profound coda of one of the best movies of the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And one of the most emotionally draining \u2014 in a good, cathartic, cheaper-than-therapy way.<\/p>\n<p>That changed mom is Agnes Shakespeare, William\u2019s wife, who\u2019s better known as Ann Hathaway.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--more inline-module--columnist inline-module--more--thirds\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<h2 class=\"inline-module__heading subsection-heading subsection-heading--single-line \">\n\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"subsection-heading__sub\">Johnny Oleksinski<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>And it\u2019s no spoiler to say that their 11-year-old son Hamnet dies. The audience walks in prepared for a tragedy. Well, they think they\u2019re ready. In reality, because of Buckley and Paul Mescal\u2019s passionate and intrusively real portrayal of Agnes and Will\u2019s love soothing us into submission, we\u2019re shellshocked when it finally arrives.<\/p>\n<p>The going gets tough, but there are many rewards to reap from these parents\u2019 agonizing journey. \u201cHamnet,\u201d based on Maggie O\u2019Farrell\u2019s novel, uses the Bard and his bride to explore grief and the healing potential of art, and asks how the little boy\u2019s death might have impacted \u201cHamlet,\u201d arguably the greatest play ever written.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jessie Buckley is brilliant in \u201cHamnet.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While Shakespeare is a historical figure that little concrete information is known about, it\u2019s safe to say that \u201cto be or not to be,\u201d \u201cthe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune\u201d and \u201che is dead and gone, lady\u201d were probably not lines written by a grinning author.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Farrell and Zhao, back and better than ever after <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/10\/26\/eternals-review-one-of-marvels-worst-movies-so-far\/\">Marvel\u2019s eternal \u201cEternals,\u201d <\/a>take that sapling of an idea and let it grow.<\/p>\n<p>The crying valve isn\u2019t opened right away, though. \u201cHamnet\u201d begins intoxicatingly romantic as it imagines Will\u2019s early, lusty courting of Agnes when they lived in rural England, which is postcard pretty here; more ancient, supernatural Forest of Arden than Kiera Knightley staring off at rolling green hills. Spitfire Agnes is an aspiring wood sprite who spends all her time under the trees making concoctions out of herbs. <\/p>\n<p>Nobody wants her \u2014 except Shakespeare. Could do worse.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Buckley and Paul Mescal, as Agnes and William Shakespeare, are perfectly matched. <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>They marry, have three kids and then Will moves to London to support the tight-knit family. It\u2019s a recognizable domestic crossroads, and the script doesn\u2019t overburden the plot with a bunch of \u201ca-ha!\u201d Easter eggs relating to his plays like \u201cShakespeare In Love\u201d did. In fact, I only heard his full name spoken once. Instead, \u201cHamnet\u201d aims to be a relatable, albeit lush and sweeping, \u201cwhat if I were in their shoes?\u201d drama.<\/p>\n<p>At first, ideally matched Mescal and Buckley smolder. As they age \u2014 and the tale jumps forward abruptly \u2014 they connect beautifully with the child actors who play their kids, especially the precocious Jacobi Jupe as poor Hamnet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jacobi\u2019s big brother, Noah Jupe, by the way, takes on the role of the Danish prince on opening night of \u201cHamlet\u201d at the Globe. The clever way Zhao takes advantage of the siblings\u2019 resemblance is shattering.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Mescal gives his most commanding performance so far. <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So is Mescal. For the entire film, it\u2019s a relief to see the Irish actor get to speak above a breathy whisper. He tends to play shy loners with gym memberships \u2014 in \u201cNormal People,\u201d \u201cAftersun\u201d and somehow even wielding a sword in \u201cGladiator 2\u2033 \u2014 and the bashfulness suits him. This time he\u2019s more extroverted and full of life. Funnily enough, a playwright is his most commanding role so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When he hugs his wife \u2014 hard \u2014 as their lives take a turn, it\u2019s the kind of unsparing raw spontaneity that most films run away from in terror.<\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s Buckley who\u2019s giving one of those rare turns that simply beggars belief. She swings back and forth from cast iron to porcelain. The actress is thunderous, playful, grounded and ethereal. She breaks your heart \u2014 not only when the worst befalls Agnes, but whenever she cracks a smile.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve adored her in movies and onstage for years. She\u2019s mostly been part of outre projects such as \u201cI\u2019m Thinking of Ending Things\u201d and \u201cWomen Talking.\u201d \u201cHamnet,\u201d despite the difficult subject matter, is one of her most mainstream and hopefully most watched films so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not yet familiar with her work, get thee to a cinema.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>movie review HAMNET Running time: 127 minutes. In theaters Nov. 27. TORONTO \u2014 There is a breathtaking moment at the end of \u201cHamnet,\u201d the tear factory that had its Canadian premiere Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival. Without robbing you of the startling, rich satisfaction of experiencing it, know that a young mother, played [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2009254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[21741,336188,304995,21912,37999,318702],"class_list":["post-2009253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-entertainment","tag-jessie-buckley","tag-movie-reviews","tag-movies","tag-paul-mescal","tag-toronto-international-film-festival"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hamnet-with-Paul-Mescal-is-one-of-the-best-most.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2009253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2009254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2009253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2009253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2009253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}