Hamnet (2025) Review – Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal & Chloé Zhao's Award-Winning Drama

About this episode

The episode reviews the 2025 historical drama 'Hamnet', exploring themes of grief and art through the lens of William Shakespeare's family.

Send us Fan Mail We're reviewing Hamnet, the 2025 historical drama directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. The film is based on Maggie O'Farrell's bestselling novel and tells the story of William Shakespeare's family — specifically his wife Agnes and their 11-year-old son Hamnet, whose death from plague in 1596 is widely believed to have inspired the creation of Hamlet. It's a film about grief, marriage, and what it costs to make art while the people around you are...

People in this episode

Hosts: Dan Smith, Mike Smith

Guests: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal

Topics covered

• film review
• historical drama
• grief
• family
• art
• literature

Keywords

• Hamnet
• Chloé Zhao
• Jessie Buckley
• Paul Mescal
• Shakespeare
• grief
• historical drama

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Hamnet, Hamlet

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