Maggie O’Farrell mentioned during the screening that turning her novel into a film felt like watching sand slip through an hourglass. She began with a substantial amount of material, reduced it to roughly 90 pages, and then handed it over to Chloé Zhao, who expanded it back out to create a two-hour movie—a version noticeably different from the original book. That seems like a fitting way to describe how this story about a portion of Shakespeare's life unfolds, and finally – I’ve seen something from Paul Mescal that goes beyond just hype. He embodies the bard, before he became the bard. He instructed uninterested children in Latin so he could pay off his father’s debt, and felt bored by it. Then he meets “Agnes” (Jessie Buckley), and their connection is immediate—despite some family concerns. Following the birth of their first child, he decides that he can earn a better living in London and sets off, much like Dick Whittington, to make his fortune. He finds writing work with a group of theatrical players, and from then on divides his time between his wife in Warwickshire and an increasingly successful career. Then “Judith” and “Hamnet” arrive. Both parents understand the need for him to be away, but their children—whom they both adore—miss their father, and when the plague strikes their town a tragedy occurs. Devastated, the couple must confront this loss in their own ways, and the novel’s premise is that it was this grief that spurred Shakespeare to write “Hamlet.” It's clear that considerable research went into this project, and from the production design through to the final twenty minutes, where an abbreviated version of this most famous play is presented, the film is engaging, entertaining, and a genuinely poignant depiction of sixteenth-century English life. Mescal’s performance begins with a spark in his eye, but as the story progresses, his character reveals a depth that blends joy, frustration, and regret—what I believe to be his finest work yet. Jessie Buckley has also evolved considerably since her appearance in “Wild Rose” (2018); her portrayal here is almost visceral, particularly concerning childbirth and parenting. Joe Alwyn and Emily Watson both contribute gravitas as brother and mother, respectively, and not for the first time in their careers, Jacobi and Noah Jupe shine, with the latter quite literally bringing the house down at the end. It’s speculative, certainly, but it remains a story that touches your heart and leaves little room for sentimentality at a point in history when mortality was frequently evident to all, regardless of wealth or status. A love story, a grief story—and what's also rewarding is that we don’t get a sentimental ending. You don’t have to be a fan of period dramas or appreciate elaborate and verbose writing to enjoy this film; it’s people at the peak of their abilities delivering a remarkably compelling narrative that feels just as relevant today.

Source on TMDB