Hamnet

I held my ground through the entire film. Well, almost the entire film. But at the ending of the play—especially when “On the Nature of Daylight “ started playing—I broke down in tears. I was quite literally gasping for air. Throughout the film, I felt everything: sorrow, happiness, love, enthusiasm, anger, grief—gut-wrenching, heartbreaking grief. But it was the ending that completely undid me. You see, I have read Hamlet. But it never struck me as deeply as it does now. After finishing this film, I found myself truly pondering: *“To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them…..”* Is it truly noble to endure? To suffer? When it is so easy—so tempting—to simply give up. To give in. To finally be at rest. At ease. Away from the sorrow. Away from the heartache. Why must we put ourselves through such hardships when surrender feels so much simpler? Is it resilience? Or something else—stubbornness, perhaps? A kind of morbid curiosity? Or perhaps… we endure because the unknown is even more terrifying than the pain we already know? - This is a masterpiece by all standards. Sublime aesthetics. Jarring, deeply human performances. A hauntingly beautiful score.