Hamnet at TIFF 2025 was outstanding. That’s it—no introduction needed. If you want to see the most moving film of the festival, Hamnet is it. Starring Jessie Buckley as Anges, the wife of William Shakespeare, and Paul Mescal as Shakespeare himself, Hamnet is an adaptation of a fictional telling of the loss of their son Hamnet, interchangeable with Hamlet. There is speculation that this death inspired the play Hamlet, and this story brings that theory to life in the most beautiful, heart-wrenching way possible.
The real focus of Hamnet is the relationship between Agnes and Will, right from their first moments. Agnes is considered “witchy” and does not gain her family’s approval until they purposely get pregnant so they can be together. This cuts to a life where Will is working for his father and suffering as he is an academic, not a labourer, and their relationship is sour. Seeing his distress, Agnes sends him to London, where he finds purpose, but stays behind to protect her children.
She believes she saw two children on her deathbed, but when she gives birth to twins after already having a daughter, Agnes goes through a whirlwind of emotions. The story is constantly keeping you on the edge of your seat, changing what we can take from two on a deathbed. Her, him, the children, we aren’t sure who will be lost. The script and direction provide an expert misdirect. Even knowing the final outcome, the story in Hamnet had me second-guessing what I know to be true, and when the moment does come, it is all that much more of a gut punch to viewers.
I found myself hanging on every word in Hamnet, whether it was teasing between siblings, words between lovers, mumblings of a grief-stricken mother, everything held so much meaning that I didn’t want to miss a second. Words from great Shakespeare plays found new meaning as we see him bring them to life, paralleling moments in his life, like Romeo & Juliet, and even in the final moments of the film, in Hamlet. I’ve never paid so much attention to words from Shakespeare, and even though there is no real proof, Hamnet really sells me on the idea that Hamlet was Shakespeare’s way of grieving his 11-year-old son.
The imagery in Hamnet is truly something to behold. Looking at lush forests as freedom and homes as prisons, only to have Will bring the forrest ot his famous theatre for his great tragedy, Hamlet. After Hamnet’s death, he speaks about not knowing where he was, how he keeps looking for him, and how he can’t just be gone. He was meant to be born in the woods, but a flood and Will’s mother prevented that. Will paints his theatre in trees and nature, and that must be where his son rests, in the theatre, and in Hamlet.
The sets, costumes, scripts and direction are truly wonderful, but I don’t think Hamnet could ever have gone as perfectly as it did without this cast. Jacobi Jupe, who plays the titular son, performs far beyond his years. Barely being old enough to understand what he is acting out, in his final moments with his sister, he absolutely blew me away. Even in writing about it, I am sitting in a public space, tearing up.
The entirety of the scene with him, Agnes (Buckley), daughters Susanna (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) and Judith (Olivia Lynes) and mother-in-law Mary (Emily Watson) lasts over 30 minutes, not leaving a moment for viewers to breathe or rest. Hamnet does not shy away from the brutal death of a child, and normally, I would say those moments aren’t necessary on screen, but to go on Agnes’ journey, we needed to be there for it all. Jupe goes through mourning, death, fear and more, and if that kid keeps on acting, he has an insane career ahead of him.
Paul Mescal perfectly captures every moment he is a part of. Many may think he is the star here, and he is powerful in everything he does. From his early moments falling in love with Agnes, to the hate for his father and fear for his son while he is away, to the lost, grieving soul of a father, Mescal is outstanding. Truly couldn’t be better. But with that said, we need to talk about who really stole the entire film, Jessie Buckley.
Hamnet is an incredibly brutal story to tell as a woman. Agnes goes through so much, with both her parents gone, a town that doesn’t understand her, a husband who needs more, a child she fears losing, the loss of her child and then the loss of herself. Where Buckley pulled from to bring this performance to life is beyond me. Her emotions at any given moment, from falling in love with someone she knows she shouldn’t to being handed her child after birth to finding her son had passed, were so raw and real.
This was her film. I have always loved Buckley’s performances, like in Women Talking, but this was absolutely her time to shine, and she absolutely nailed it. What is more impressive to me is not in the moments of anguish and utter agony. It is in her hesitation when she meets Will, her smirks as she finds her way around their parents, and most importantly, in her silent gaze during the performance of Hamlet. This woman can do so much, and every second she is on screen is mesmerizing.
Hamnet was a brutal 2-hour watch, and one I would do again, and again, and again. Jessie Buckley brings the performance of a lifetime, and I would be absolutely shocked if she isn’t everywhere in the award circuit. Also, watch out for Jacobi Jupe; he is far beyond his years, and I believe Hamnet was just the start.
