My overall score for Hamnet is 9.4/10. This is my pick (unless Marty Supreme is INSANELY better) for Best Picture. And I think OBAA, as beautifully shot and put together as it was, could have some problems
because it's lost so much money. Typically, Academy voters don't like to vote for box office bombs.
Hamnet is the story of William (Paul Mescal) and Anne/Agnes (Jessie Buckley) Shakespeare and their courtship, marriage, and how the death of their son Hamnet led William to create his greatest tragedy, Hamlet.
What's GREAT:
1) Jessie Buckley. This is her Oscar to lose. I don't see anyone else coming close to her performance.
2) Paul Mescal. He's definitely getting nominated for Best Supporting Actor. But can he beat Sean Penn (OBAA) and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)? I don't know.
3) Direction and Cinematography. Zhao did a superb job here and the film looked incredible from start to finish.
4) Screenplay (Chloe Zhao & Maggie O'Farrell). The dialogue used throughout the film is probably the best I've seen this year.
5) The score (Max Richter) throughout this film is top-notch.
6) Jacobi Jupe (Hamnet) probably had the best child performance I've seen in years.
7) The film shows the first performance of Hamlet. Hamlet was shown perfectly - which I think was absolutely required for this entire story to work.
8) There were quite a few people who were teary/crying as they left the theater.
What's MEH:
1) This film includes dealing with the horrific illness, death, and grief of a young child. If that is something that bothers you, I highly suggest skipping this and selecting a different film.
2) This film is based on the
2020 novel by Maggie O'Farrell. O'Farrell connected Hamnet's death to Shakespeare creating his legendary tragedy, Hamlet. However, there's not 100% definitive proof that links Hamnet with Hamlet. I could see that making viewers irate if/when they find that out.
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