Hamnet 4K 2025

Well, I just watched the movie Hamnet. It was directed by Chloe Zhang, who directed Nomadland and won an Oscar, and produced by Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes. I had been seeing trailers for this film for about two months when I went to my favorite movie theater. And today, I finally watched it in its entirety.

It feels like Hollywood has finally returned to its traditional roots. Because this is already the second masterpiece after “Dreams of Trains.” I really liked this film. I'll try not to give any spoilers.

The film is gorgeous — it conveys the atmosphere of the late 16th century. We see the young Shakespeare teaching Latin in a village near London. He falls in love with his future wife — a peasant woman, a hard-working woman with hands that can shovel manure and milk a cow. Shakespeare himself is portrayed as a guy who is not inclined to work. Here, I'll give a small spoiler, there is a powerful scene about how he is not very good at working with his hands, which was extremely important for people of that time.

Nature is described very well—the rustling of trees, the wind, the damp air. All of this is conveyed through the camera. And, of course, life is a tragedy. Now it is clear that great art, music, paintings, or films are born only from the contrast between love and suffering. Either great, immense love, or loss and bereavement. Only then are such masterpieces born.

And I'll add my own opinion—the film is very easy to watch. You don't feel like you're sitting in a history lecture or being burdened with complicated dialogue. Everything is very human. Simple life, simple relationships, without pretension. Nothing is made up, nothing shines, everything is real, as if you were there. I liked that there is no modern Hollywood fuss. Everyone acts calmly, without shouting and without trying to impress with special effects. Just a story about a family, an ordinary village, ordinary people who also had their joys and sorrows. And also, the film is very warm, despite the tragedy. You leave the theater not feeling drained, but on the contrary, with the feeling that you have seen something real. Something that stays in your head all day.

I really liked the film, very much. Without spoilers, I want to mention the amazing birth scene - in my opinion, one of the best. Not in the entire history of cinema, but definitely among films about the end of the 16th century. Everything is so believable and lifelike.

And Jessie Buckley—she gave an incredible performance. She conveyed her role as if she had put all her pain, suffering, and experiences into it. It was as if the actress was not of this world. I will be rooting for both this film and her at the Oscars.