If everything feels like a Shakespearean tragedy right now, an Oscar-nominated film with the Bard might just be the soulful salve you need.
Director Chloé Zhao's "Hamnet" (in select theaters now, nationwide Jan. 23) took a slow-burn approach this awards season. Aside from powerhouse star Jessie Buckley, it had been lagging behind louder Oscar-bait vehicles – "One Battle After Another," "Sinners" – but has found new life thanks to a Golden Globe best drama win and eight nominations at March 15’s Academy Awards including best picture.
That often equals a welcome mainstream signal boost to films that could use it. And with "Hamnet," it brings extra attention to a lush historical drama that looks great, takes you on an emotional roller coaster, and leaves you wrecked in the best possible way with a sensational, all-the-feels ending.
Based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel, the fictionalized origin story behind Shakespeare's all-timer "Hamlet" starts with a love story in Stratford, England. Young tutor Will Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) falls for Agnes (Buckley), a free spirit who some think is a forest witch. They marry, start a family and have three children, but Shakespeare travels to London for weeks at a time for his work in the theater while Agnes raises the kids.
