Hamnet

A film that is so brutal in the emotional blows it delivers, but the final piece seals the deal as one learns acceptance of the grief they have been dealt. For me, the film was really split into two halves, and I was waiting for the second half of the movie the entire time. I was afraid that the movie would not be what I had conjured up in my mind, nonetheless, Chloe Zhao delivered. The acting is impeccable, obviously Agnes, played by Jessie Buckley blew me away. Her emotion is so raw and authentic, dumping grief and sadness persists into the viewer’s soul. The acting of the children was also unreal, each one putting in Oscar-worthy performances. To be able to convey such emotion through speech and nonverbal actions at such a young age is always incredible to see. Paul Mescal is always so good at finding absolutely soul-crushing roles, and he did it yet again. I think the stillness of the camera and the wide shots used in a lot of the runtime was done really well, keeping the cinematography “by the book” keeps the actors as the focus, which I appreciated. Soundtrack: powerful. When Agnes finally walks up to the Globe, all of the emotion built up finally hits its breaking point, was an awesome ‘reveal’. Actual Rating: 4.25 / 5.00