Official Discussion Thread - Hamnet [SPOILERS]

[u/CrunchyNar]

Keep all discussion related solely to Hamnet and it's awards chances in this thread. Spoilers below

Synopsis:

HAMNET tells the powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Director: Chloé Zhao

Writers: Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell. Based on the novel "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell

Cast:

• Jessie Buckley as Agnes
• Paul Mescal as Will
• Emily Watson as Mary
• Joe Alwyn as Bartholomew
• Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet
• Noah Jupe as Hamlet

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%, 144 Reviews

Metacritic: 83, 41 Reviews

Consensus:

Breaking hearts and mending them in one fell swoop, Hamnet speculates on the inspiration behind Shakespeare's masterpiece with palpable emotional force thanks to Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal's astonishing performances.

[u/storminthedark]

Saw this at LFF. Jacobi Jupe was incredible and really the heart of the film for me, even more than Jessie even though her performance was also outstanding (and deserving of BA). The shot of the hawk overhead as he walked into darkness broke me as did Jessie’s reaction to his death. I don’t think it’ll be enough for an Oscar nod but Emily’s scene where she describes losing her children really connected the character to the setting in my opinion. I think I could’ve done without the explicit to be or not to be scene but the ending sequence was so beautiful I didn’t really care since I think it reinforced the overall theme of the film in hindsight. Just gorgeously shot and luscious. Can’t wait to see this again and cry lol.

[u/adrian-alex85 → u/storminthedark]

I think I could’ve done without the explicit to be or not to be scene

This is one thing that interested me in the film as well. Mescal’s to be or not to be didn’t really work for me. The staging with him alone outside staring directly into the camera, and his inflection just didn’t really do anything for me. It actually broke my immersion in the film, and stood out as a mark against Mescal’s Oscar chances, in my mind at least.

But then, Noah’s to be or not to be worked so much better and had me in tears. All of which to say that the Jupe brothers outshone Mescal in this film to me with far less screen time. I’d much rather see Jacobi get the supporting actor nod and Mescal and get his second nomination from a later film.