Gorgeous, but a tough sit
Film critic Jason Evans is here to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to read a Shakespeare speech. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 is too short while 101 is just excessive). Here is his 100-word review of Hamnet.
The Premise: Acclaimed filmmaker Chloe Zao (Nomadland,
Eternals) brings us the story of Shakespeare’s family. We meet a young man (Paul
Mescal) who wants to be a playwright (his name is not spoken until very late in
the movie, though you know who he is). We see him fall in love with Agnes
(Jessie Buckley), a woman who has little interest in the norms of society,
instead embracing the almost magical power of nature and the forest. They soon
have children, including a son named Hamnet. When tragedy strikes the family,
Agnes and Will’s hearts are ripped open and he turns to the written word to
express his sadness.
The 100-words: Gorgeous filmmaking with moments that linger
in your mind after they have left the screen. The movie features a stirring
score and remarkable acting performances worthy of awards praise. Sadly, the
middle third is so overwrought with emotion and sadness, it is hard to take.
You become desperate to get out of the sense of depression and loss that
permeates the film. But just when it feels like you cannot take any more, the movie
climaxes with a performance of Hamlet that among the most stirring plays on
film in cinema history. Not an easy film, but a potent one.
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