The Movie Man: ‘Hamnet’ Makes Its Case for Best Picture

Hamnet will certainly become a classic once the Oscars are over, whether it takes home the big prize or not.

Academy Award-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) takes the helm in this adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s historic fiction novel of the same name. Jessie Buckley leads as Agnes Hathaway with Paul Mescal as her husband, William Shakespeare, as they deal with a family tragedy that leads to the creation of the drama, Hamlet. Both Buckley and Mescal knock it out of the park with their performances, particularly Mescal as we see him recite several of the drama’s most iconic lines (the author delivering the words as they were meant to be spoken). The film is certainly an emotional experience, but it is the emotions that help us understand the immortal words of a drama written four centuries ago (Max Richter’s soundtrack certainly helps).

What won me over instantly were the scenes naturally lit by candlelight, giving us the bare minimum lighting for an era before electricity. I was impressed by the recreation of 17^th century England. The vast green countryside reminded me of our own rural landscape in Lyme and Old Lyme. But in the end, what caught my attention was the abundance of wide-shots that were long-takes – lengthy, uninterrupted shots from far away. I can only imagine how challenging this was for the actors, but it certainly gives hints of the theatre (relevant for a movie about Shakespeare).

Then there was the depiction of the Globe theatre. I may not be a historian about Elizabethan England, but what I recalled from my high school English classes came to mind as I watched the wealthy take the balcony seats and the commonfolk in the mosh pit. The depiction of classes is also to be praised, that we who are removed by centuries can subtly distinguish the rich from the poor.

There are no guarantees with the Oscars. It is as human as local elections with studio campaigning and advertising. This is certainly a contender for Best Picture, in addition for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Buckley. It can be considered the Academy’s “type,” being a period-piece drama, but there is plenty of merit beyond the surface level.

About the Author: Having lived in Old Lyme and Lyme since the age of three, Kevin Ganey has a lifelong passion for cinema that goes beyond simply watching films. He is the creator of CityOfCinema.com, a site devoted to movie analysis, and co-hosts the Moviehouse Mystics podcast with Koda Uhl, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.