? To be, or not to be, that is the question. Following the success of Irish author Maggie O’Farell’s 2020 novel Hamnet, Oscar-winning Chinese director Chloé Zhao has brought the hit story to the big screen. The result? An emotional masterpiece. Just as the novel achieved great acclaim, the film has garnered widespread admiration, a torrent of accolades, and eight Oscar nominations, including best picture, best actress (Jessie Buckley), best director, best adapted screenplay, and best original score, solidifying its status as one of the year’s biggest cinematic drops.

A prophecy: Agnes (Buckley) is a shy, eccentric girl with an unbreakable bond with nature. She wanders the forests, befriending crows — acts that lead some villagers to brand her a witch, or the daughter of the forest witch, to be exact. One day, Agnes meets a handsome latin tutor (Paul Mescal); they quickly fall in love, marry, and start a family comprising an elder daughter and a set of twins, a boy and a girl. Haunted by a recurring premonition of herself on her deathbed surrounded by only two children, Agnes realizes one of her three is fated to die, and seeks to protect them at all costs.

The film dissects human emotions across the board, particularly how each protagonist grapples with the idea of death. Agnes is no stranger to loss, having endured her mother’s departure at a young age. But this time, driven by maternal instinct, she tries to protect and nurture her children from any and all dangers — to no avail.

Husband and wife process grief differently. Agnes screams, weeps, and is consumed by woe. Her husband — once the victim of domestic abuse — finds solace in his work as a playwright. Zhao uses nature to embody these contradictions, with the earth, its trees and rivers, offering brilliant metaphors.

One hallmark of a great actor is the ability to convey depth without words — a feat Buckly accomplishes here. The Irish actress captivates with her gaze alone. While Buckley’s chops are well-established, we believe Hamnet sees the star shine in ways she never has before. We’d wager that she might just walk away with a statuette for it. Delivering an equally intense performance is young Jacobi Jupe, who plays her son, Hamnet. Without spoiling much, we’ll say this: Jupe’s impact on the audience was palpable, stirring a flood of emotion.

Our verdict? If you’re a fan of the classics, historical romances, and Shakespearean tragedies, this is a film you need to watch. But be warned: you might just leave the theatre feeling melancholic.

WHERE TO WATCH- The film is screening at Vox Cinemas at City Center Almaza, Mall of Egypt, and Mall of Alexandria, as well as Citystars Cinema, CFCM and D5’s Scene Cinema, Cima Arkan, and Zawya. Watch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:39).

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