It feels unjust to rate this film at all,
For I endured the strangest show on earth.
O AMC on Thirty-Fourth, beware
You’ll rue the day that birthed this fevered night.

Imagine this: I enter, spirits high,
And take my seat beside a woman crowned
With three enormous bags of crinkling wrath.
Her grip was fierce; each movement stirred a storm
Of rustling paper through the quiet hall.
I prayed she merely held them for a friend
She did not. In those sacks there dwelt a world
Of louder chips than mortal minds dare dream.
From depths unending, Mary Poppins-like,
She summoned endless snacks to test my soul.

Yet noise alone was but the half of it;
She held, as well, a scholar’s running mouth.
Has someone died? A plot betrayed? Confused?
Fear not, our oracle would speak the truth,
And bless the room with every passing thought.

But still, despite this trial of noise and fate,
I found Hamnet a wondrous, moving work.
There’s something different breathing in this film:
The feelings true, the characters alive
A worthy, faithful telling of the tale.

It feels unjust to rate this film at all,
For I endured the strangest show on earth.
O AMC on Thirty-Fourth, beware
You’ll rue the day that birthed this fevered night.

Imagine this: I enter, spirits high,
And take my seat beside a woman crowned
With three enormous bags of crinkling wrath.
Her grip was fierce; each movement stirred a storm
Of rustling paper through the quiet hall.
I prayed she merely held them for a friend
She did not. In those sacks there dwelt a world
Of louder chips than mortal minds dare dream.
From depths unending, Mary Poppins-like,
She summoned endless snacks to test my soul.

Yet noise alone was but the half of it;
She held, as well, a scholar’s running mouth.
Has someone died? A plot betrayed? Confused?
Fear not, our oracle would speak the truth,
And bless the room with every passing thought.

But still, despite this trial of noise and fate,
I found Hamnet a wondrous, moving work.
There’s something different breathing in this film:
The feelings true, the characters alive
A worthy, faithful telling of the tale.

hey, you — ✋👮🏻‍♂️ stop what you’re doing and go listen to on the nature of daylight by max richter, NOW

its use here might take the cake over its appearance in arrival as the tear-jerkiest piece of music in a film

as soon as those opening notes hit i knew i was in for a proper dose of melancholy

…

the word that most comes to mind when i reflect on hamnet is “beautiful”, referring both to its individual pieces and in the way they come together to form a whole

vibes-wise, this thing is on another level. it’s mystical in the way that rivendell in LOTR is — alien camera angles, slow crawls into dark holes, long-held close ups peering into the eyes of its main characters, shameless allusions to the idea that there’s more to the world than what can be written in simple prose. this world, this life, our relationships — are complex, imprecise, shifting, unpennable without flourish

it’s visually and musically gorgeous, shockingly tight in execution (think of all of the things this movie ISN’T about, an impressive level of restraint given its subject matter), and incredibly well acted

on the map of artists making art about artists making art, this sits far above sentimental value, and surprisingly not so far below synecdoche new york (one of my all-time favorites)

as i write, i think about the power and variety of art, loss, love, partnership, passion and rawness, and belief in one’s self — even as an other

…

the world where this movie is a 10 for me is the world where its sadness hits a little harder. i found it didn’t land 100% — for you it might

train dreams is hamnet for the working man, hamnet is train dreams for artists

this was my first chloe zhao, and it won’t be my last. deserving of its praise. can’t wait to check out nomadland

hey, you — ✋👮🏻‍♂️ stop what you’re doing and go listen to on the nature of daylight by max richter, NOW

its use here might take the cake over its appearance in arrival as the tear-jerkiest piece of music in a film

as soon as those opening notes hit i knew i was in for a proper dose of melancholy

…

the word that most comes to mind when i reflect on hamnet is “beautiful”, referring both to its individual pieces and in the way they come together to form a whole

vibes-wise, this thing is on another level. it’s mystical in the way that rivendell in LOTR is — alien camera angles, slow crawls into dark holes, long-held close ups peering into the eyes of its main characters, shameless allusions to the idea that there’s more to the world than what can be written in simple prose. this world, this life, our relationships — are complex, imprecise, shifting, unpennable without flourish

it’s visually and musically gorgeous, shockingly tight in execution (think of all of the things this movie ISN’T about, an impressive level of restraint given its subject matter), and incredibly well acted

on the map of artists making art about artists making art, this sits far above sentimental value, and surprisingly not so far below synecdoche new york (one of my all-time favorites)

as i write, i think about the power and variety of art, loss, love, partnership, passion and rawness, and belief in one’s self — even as an other

…

the world where this movie is a 10 for me is the world where its sadness hits a little harder. i found it didn’t land 100% — for you it might

train dreams is hamnet for the working man, hamnet is train dreams for artists

this was my first chloe zhao, and it won’t be my last. deserving of its praise. can’t wait to check out nomadland

pretty gut wrenching and sad but well done, watched win @meher

pretty gut wrenching and sad but well done, watched win @meher

Sometimes going into a screening knowing absolutely nothing about what you will be watching is a blessing.

I had the pleasure of getting into a Dolby Early Access screening for this one. The first half felt a bit slow and hard to unpack what exactly was happening. As we got into the second half though… holy shit. The performances were off the charts and the pure emotion from every single character came through the screen into the heart of every viewer.

I will not be surprised at all when this cast gets some Oscar nominations.

Sometimes going into a screening knowing absolutely nothing about what you will be watching is a blessing.

I had the pleasure of getting into a Dolby Early Access screening for this one. The first half felt a bit slow and hard to unpack what exactly was happening. As we got into the second half though… holy shit. The performances were off the charts and the pure emotion from every single character came through the screen into the heart of every viewer.

I will not be surprised at all when this cast gets some Oscar nominations.

Subtle start to the movie, I was left wanting a little bit more depth out of the first act. Jessie Buckleys performance was commendable and she drives the story along here. The kids acting was some of the best you’ll see out of a child. Paul Mescal really brought those classics lines from Shakespeare to life. I had to fight back some tears half way through 😂😂

Subtle start to the movie, I was left wanting a little bit more depth out of the first act. Jessie Buckleys performance was commendable and she drives the story along here. The kids acting was some of the best you’ll see out of a child. Paul Mescal really brought those classics lines from Shakespeare to life. I had to fight back some tears half way through 😂😂