Overview

• Chloé Zhao’s adaptation premiered in Canada at the Toronto International Film Festival after debuting at Telluride, drawing reports of intensely emotional audience responses.
• Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal star as Agnes and William Shakespeare, with critics highlighting both performances as standout work.
• Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, the film was co-written by Zhao and O’Farrell and focuses on love, grief and the role of art in the Shakespeares’ family life.
• At TIFF, Zhao addressed the audience and described a collaborative, instinct-driven process that aims for communal catharsis without leaning on biographical spectacle.
• Focus Features plans a theatrical opening on Nov. 27 with a 127-minute runtime, and the cast includes Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet and Noah Jupe in a staged Hamlet sequence.