Hamnet

4 (1)

The film's central theme is Will and Agnes's mourning for the loss of their eleven-year-old son. Grief divides them, and each finds their own way to cope. She through her primordial, intimate connection with nature; he through artistic transfiguration. Thus, from a death, William Shakespeare's masterpiece, Hamlet, is born. The director makes the courageous and significant choice not to focus the expression of grief solely on close-ups, which are rare in the film and often feature faces in shadow. This choice signifies that Agnes and Will's grief is not merely private, but becomes the grief of an entire community, expressed in the evocative final scene of the audience reaching out to the stage. A powerful film, a testament to the director's skill and the talent of the actors. Highly recommended!