Franglais27 Tales

To Be or Not To Be as all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players – by now, audiences who are unfamiliar with Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet novel, should be aware, following awards season, of this film’s poignant, emotional premise. Or will have heard, at least, of director Chloé Zhao’s cathartic meditation exercises that she had led festival audiences in, possibly in preparation for the heartrending elements embedded within her film. Audiences loyally following Zhao’s early works such as The Rider, will know what to expect, however.

Zhao’s adaptation of Hamnet follows the tragic course that struck playwright William Shakespeare and his family during the beginning of his career, rumoured to have inspired his renowned play, Hamlet. The film’s introductory quote outlines that the names Hamnet and Hamlet were interchangeable during that era but the visual, sumptuous, evocative feast that unfolds within this rich, layered portrait crafted by Zhao with a calming, meditative lens is truly a treat for all!

Part theatrical and part visual masterpiece, with stunning painterly composition, Zhao’s Hamnet radiates a powerful feminine energy that underpins this beautiful narrative and simultaneously manages to embrace us within its warm earthly vibe on the one hand and rips our hearts to shreds with the other. Be prepared to bring packets of tissues to Hamnet as its emotional river overflows on many occasions!

Commentators have described Hamnet as a blunt, emotionally manipulative but simple film with a complementary melodramatic score by the talented Max Richter. All of which misses the point – that is part of its design! The film focuses on the emotional aftermath as grief rears its head for this young family which may be relatable to others’ journey with love, loss and grief but could also be on the nose. Simply put, there is no denying that Hamnet may be a hard watch for many. Although, it is equally imbued with rich symbolism, spirituality and magic!

Audiences worldwide will undoubtedly be aware that Hamnet has been the recipient of numerous nominations and awards, including the Best Actress Oscar award for Jessie Buckley’s tour de force, raw performance as Agnes Hathaway. Zhao chooses to strip Hamnet back to the very essence of humanity, with joy and sorrow exposed within this familial tale, with a mother’s love and loss as its beating heart.

This is a tale of Shakespeare told from behind the scenes as Hamnet wraps its arms instead around Shakespeare’s wife,  Agnes’ experiences like a protective nest. Visually, such type of shelter is unveiled within the opening breath-taking introduction to Agnes with a bird’s eye view impression of her in a vibrant, red dress (her main dress worn in the film) cocooned within a tree’s shelter against the forest’s lush greenery akin to a painting. The cinematography and colour grading continually play key roles within Hamnet as this is a striking, visual interpretation of Agnes’ persona as she is subtly but effectively portrayed as Mother Earth, the keeper of hawks.

Zhao’s vision gingerly unpeeled the layers of Agnes’ family’s connection to nature and the forest’s gravitational pull. She is given the nickname of being a forest witch, she rears hawks and constantly has smudges of dirt on her face and hands. The depiction is of a wild, feral, outspoken, illiterate woman compared to the reserved, educated Latin tutor, Will, played by Paul Mescal, who is bewitched by her presence. These differences also extend to their relationship in later years as parents – Agnes is present and a homebody, in Stratford Upon Avon, whereas Will is the absent father, distant traveller, visiting London.  As opposites attract, their passions run deep but being a period drama there is the additional pressure of satisfying family members by having a suitable match befitting of one’s status in Elizabethan England.

Whilst their youthful union may have been fleeting on screen, and deserved more runtime to flesh out personas, their fun in each other’s company and Buckley and Mescal’s undeniable chemistry captivates. However, Agnes and Will’s dance into a future life together is laid out with a degree of foreboding punctuated by heavy, empathetic chords within the score. Hawks circling in the sky reminiscent of death warnings, brooding images of trees silently calling in the forest and water creepily over spilling on floorboards within a childbirth scene add to this haunting sense of foreshadowing akin to a J-horror! The editing within Hamnet is simply superb!

Plus, the addition of the tale of Eurydice and Orpheus, a Greek tragedy, further sets this chilling tone with frightening parallels for predictions of doomed love. Interestingly, whilst Mescal’s Will reads this myth to Agnes, emphasising the importance of storytelling running through the film’s veins, it is Mescal as Lionel Worthing in Oliver Hermanus’ The History of Sound who is the recipient of hearing such tale recited. This myth is also uttered between the star-crossed lovers within Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Thus, the myth seems to be currently popular with filmmakers and is a marked departure that Zhao deliberately makes within her film adaptation.  Utilising this myth was a successful device further connecting to the central themes of love and loss rendering Hamnet’s soul stirring effect all the more profound traversing both familial and romantic love!

The inclusion of Eurydice and Orpheus equally ties into the inner powers that Agnes possesses through her senses of touch and vision. Whilst these elements are not fully explained, Agnes can see what others cannot by a simple touch of their hand, which is both healing and visionary. In the myth, it is the notion of sight that devastates a couple further as Orpheus, despite the conditions of rescue for Eurydice from the Underworld, cannot resist turning back to look at her. Similarly, through Zhao’s directorial choices, there are often lingering glances between Agnes and Will. However, Agnes is sometimes subtly compelling Will to turn back and look at her during moments of happiness and devastation which will not leave a dry eye in the house. Buckley fully embraces this naturalistic embodiment of a woman’s inner strength and power with aplomb and deserves her flowers in all of those visceral scenes where the pain and anguish is acutely felt. Richter’s score serves to up the emotional quotient in those moments with repetitive refrains and titles such as ‘Of Orpheus’ and ‘Look at Me’.

That sense of contrasts between hope and sorrow is powerfully conveyed by Buckley’s mesmerising, raw, unforgettable performance alongside the film’s visual emphasis on shadows, the void and candlelight. We forget that Agnes is a fictionalised character and believe that we are vicariously experiencing her fear and loss. Her desperation to resolve a tragedy is acutely felt, the panic feels too real and is combined with that sense of helplessness and frustration – it’s perhaps too realistic for some but this is the type of genuine, unfiltered female role onscreen that many of us have been waiting a lifetime for! Agnes’ overarching desire was to safeguard her children against harm similar to those birds in the wild with their protective nests. Yet, her fear of relying on conventional medical treatment, many people were using herbs instead to cure ailments in that period, and indeed the lack of scientific progress at the time against diseases such as the plague accentuate that sense of frustration. This, combined with the camera work again recreate that sense of being unwittingly trapped as a horror unfolds. Buckley’s outstanding descent into the full extent of the excruciating suffering of grief and survivors’ guilt does not allow any escape!

Fortunately, it is not all doom and gloom in Hamnet – Zhao offers us grace and with patience walks us through the stages of grief with tenderness and compassion, allowing us to process our own traumas. The theatre offers that solace as Will retreats to London where the Globe theatre is being constructed with his play, Hamlet, showcased. Art, plays a huge role in offering that catharsis to many, allowing us to resonate but also to escape. Within Hamnet, we are exposed to the ways in which suffering can be the construction for the renowned literary pieces of our time such as Hamlet’s To Be or Not To Be speech in haunting scenes with beautiful cinematography exploring the tempestuousness of the crashing waves by night.

It would also be remiss not to mention the inspired casting within Hamnet with the Jacobi brothers depicting younger and older versions of Hamnet on and off stage. Their chemistry with Buckley and Mescal is also remarkable to watch, further adding to the film’s multi-faceted layers and emotional grip on audiences.

Hamnet is an exceptional example of meditative, compelling filmmaking that encourages a standout performance such as Buckley’s. It is beautiful to observe with its set design and mesmerising score. Indeed, there are flaws – Buckley and Mescal’s Irish accents can sometimes be heard, the fade to blacks may seem overly theatrical and there may be slow paced moments – but these are outweighed by Zhao’s skilful, understanding direction, penchant for storytelling and that magnificent performance by Buckley that will be talked about for years to come! Hamnet is highly recommended viewing and quite frankly, more films of this ilk are needed to amplify the female gaze further!