Hamnet

This raw, beautiful, tragic story of William Shakespeare, his wife, and their children will absolutely touch a nerve. It sees love spark, stretch into distance, fall into grief, and be retold through art. Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are transcendent, illuminating the screen with the play of their emotions. It has a 93% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, and has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Casting, and Best Production Design).

“If there’s been a more staggering cinematic catharsis in recent years, I’ve not experienced it.” -Bob Mondello, NPR
“Love it or hate it, Hamnet will get a response out of you that you won’t easily shake. I was equally moved and horrified, and I loved every minute of it.” -Odie Henderson, Boston Globe
“With sensational Irish actors Buckley and Mescal and a dynamic script, the message here is that tragedy can be transmuted into art and touch theaters full of strangers as well as the individuals directly involved.” -Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups
“At the risk of seeming woo-woo, Hamnet does hold you in a metaphorical embrace, one which gives you permission to feel connected to emotions the rest of the world tells you to push down.” -Wenlei Ma, The Nightly (AU)
“Mescal, rightly, takes a back seat while Buckley lets rip with the most astounding ferocity. It is ruthlessly manipulative and maybe you will be able to resist. But I’d take a hanky all the same.” -Deborah Ross, The Spectator
“In the end, the film that takes his name becomes a polished hymn to great art.” -Danny Leigh, The Financial Times
“This film succeeds, not because it solves the mystery, but because it deepens it still further. It is contrived and speculative, but ingenious and impassioned at the same time.” -Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
“The uncertain and the undeniable come together in a stunning final act of communication that feels more like communion.” -Jesse Hassenger, AV Club
“Hamnet is a technical, artistic, intellectual, and emotional feast.” -Michael Ordoña, The Wrap
“Hamnet is another slow burn from Chloe Zhao, but when it really unleashes its magic it’s an unstoppable force enhanced by Jessie Buckley’s performance. A beautiful examination of mourning and artistic catharsis.” -Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven
“Buckley and Mescal, both looking achingly young, beautifully convey the gasping, swimmy passion of first love, and the frustrations when happily-ever-after doesn’t quite work out that way.” -Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
“The film’s final scenes, the ones that take us out of the awe and fury of nature and depict the premiere of Hamlet that Agnes reluctantly attends with her brother, Bartholomew (Joe Alwyn), are its best—stirring and literary and meaningful.” -Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine

Hamnet will open at The Clyde on Friday, February 13, and plays Friday, Saturday, and Monday at 7:30, plus 2:00 Sunday.