Hamnet – Saturday 10th January 2026

Lauded by critics and audiences alike, I tempered my expectations, as I tend not to agree with their sensibilities these days. This time, however, I am in complete agreement.

Great film.

The genius of Chloe Zhao’s filmmaking lies in its apparent simplicity. She takes a very bare bones, stripped back approach. There are no gimmicks of sweeping camera moves, or music to prod the audience into feeling; she just focuses on the actors, keeping them close to the camera (and thus the audience), and allows them to be the ones that captivate the audience.

The film also ends on an emotional climax, where Zhao finally allows the score to soar, and because the film has thus far been quite bare, it enhances the effect, really putting a lump in the throat. Ending the film on an emotional high leaves the audience walking away with it still fresh in our hearts and our minds, which has a very profound effect.

Again, this is not gimmicky filmmaking. The emotional high point isn’t the death of a character, but rather, witnessing one of the main characters ‘feel’ something. We mirror her emotions, just by being drawn into them. Sounds simple, but as said, it’s genius filmmaking.

I’m not sure I’d be in a rush to watch Hamnet again, but as a one-time viewing experience, it was pretty amazing.