#5: HAMNET

 

STARRING: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn. Screenplay by Chloe Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell. Based on the book Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. Directed by Chloe Zhao. Budget $35 million. Running time 126 minutes.

Charting the moment Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) spots his future wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) falls madly in love with her, within seconds they're married and she's in the family way and before you can say now is the winter of our discontent, she's given birth to twins, Hamnet (Jacobie Jupe) and Judith (Olivia Lynes), then spotting her hubby has an urge to write she sends him off to London to make his fortune selling handmade gloves. Then the black death hits, and Hamnet dies, while Shakespeare is away and Agnes isn't too happy about that, so Shakespeare follows some good advice about writing, in short write what you know and writes a play about losing his son Hamnet, but calls it Hamlet to protect the identity of its main inspiration and Agnes, pissed off that her husband is always at work rides off to London just in time to catch opening night of said new play. 

This is a beautifully made, well directed and well acted movie with a great soundtrack. But sadly it didn't move me any more deeply than that. I was warned to be prepared to cry buckets, well buckets were taken but narry a tear was shed. The trouble for me is everybody was trying just too hard to out act the other. Jessie Buckley is superb and this film belongs to her hook, line and sinker. Sadly Paul Mescal just comes across as a bungling somewhat belittled dweeb. The rest of the cast, in particular Emily Watson as Shaky's mum plays an absolute blinder, but boy is everyone acting their little boots off.  

So, the over acting just did my head in. That and the naturalist lighting. Look, Stanley Kubrick already did that to perfection with Barry Lydon and the use of candles to light scenes now just seems like an arrogant cry for acknowledgement. Look at me! It screams, or not, since it's rather dim. Anyway, when this film focuses on Agnes, who may or may not be bestowed with almost witch-like powers this film is a triumph, but too many scenes of people screaming with drool dripping down their faces sort of did me in, to a degree. And there's no mistaking that the end staging of Hamlet is absolutely stunning. I just wasn't moved more than that. I went in expecting to be reduced to a quivering wreck and I wasn't. As I was watching this i found my mind wandering as to what score to give it, it starts strong and i though, 'nice' this is a solid 9, then it started to dip and I found myself thinking oh god, this might just be a 7, then that final staging and I was finally won over. Sadly it was just a little too little, too late. Still, I'd recommend it greatly.  

Score wise, it's a solid 8/10