Greetings again from the darkness. Watching so many movies each year usually raises my defense mode against cinematic emotional manipulation. However, all hope is not lost for me as the best filmmakers and talented writers and top notch actors can still get to me, as evidenced by this latest from writer-director Chloe Zhao (two Oscars for NOMADLAND, 2020; plus the underappreciated THE RIDER, 2017) and novelist-screenwriter Maggie O’Farrell (her 2020 novel is the source material).
The actors who manage to elevate this extraordinary work to new heights are two of the best actors working today: Jessie Buckley (highly recommend WILD ROSE, 2018) and Paul Mescal (AFTERSUN, 2022). Mr. Mescal plays Will Shakespeare as a tutor at a rural school. He aspires to be a writer (spoiler alert: he succeeds). Ms. Buckley plays Agnes, a local who is labeled as a child of the forest witch, and she actually possesses the spirit of nature and healing. The meet-cute of Will and Agnes is anything but. Spotting Agnes out the window as she carries her pet hawk back to the barn, Will abandons his students and rushes outside to meet her. Yada-Yada … she’s pregnant … the families are not happy … the young couple begins their life together.
Even in the late 16th century, succeeding as a playwright was no easy task. Will often took leave from his family to travel to London for work. A second pregnancy for Agnes bore twins, including daughter Judith who was weakened, and son Hamnet. All in all, this was a close-knit family who experienced joy together despite the challenges – quite a contrast from Will’s family where his dad called him “useless”.
It should be noted that this does not come across as the story of the great William Shakespeare. Instead, it’s the story of a family whose heart is Agnes, and it’s told from her perspective. We are informed that names of the time often had various spellings, so you might be more familiar with Agnes as Anne Hathaway, and son Hamnet as Hamlet, the inspiration for one of Shakespeare’s greatest works. To say more on this would be a spoiler I’m unwilling to provide. You should know that son Hamnet is played by Jacobi Jupe (PETER PAN & WENDY, 2023) and the stage character Hamlet is played by his real-life brother Noah Jupe (FORD V FERRARI, 2019). Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn also have supporting roles.
To be or not to be … a tearjerker … is no question. Director Zhao is a master and Mr. Mescal and especially Ms. Buckley cut right to the heart of a story that will have quite an impact on most every viewer. Grief is such a powerful emotion, and the contrast in how a couple handles it … even a couple deeply in love … makes for a story and a film that is surely one of the year’s best.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 