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Hamnet’ Draws Rave Reviews as Jessie Buckley’s Awards Momentum Builds

Critics highlight Chloé Zhao’s elegiac craft alongside an openly speculative premise.

Overview

  • Fresh reviews published today praise Jessie Buckley’s lead turn as Agnes and commend Paul Mescal’s performance as Shakespeare.
  • Buckley’s Critics Choice Best Actress win on January 3 has intensified awards buzz ahead of the Golden Globes and late‑January Oscar nominations.
  • The film adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel, with Zhao and O’Farrell co‑writing a screenplay that treats the link between Hamnet’s death and Hamlet as artistic speculation rather than established fact.
  • Reviewers single out Łukasz Żal’s cinematography and Max Richter’s score for shaping the film’s pastoral, elegiac tone.
  • The theatrical rollout continues with the UK and Ireland opening on January 9, as coverage also notes Buckley’s recent reflections on motherhood after filming.