Hamnet

with me, Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words, Remembers me of all his gracious parts, Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form; Then have I reason to be fond of grief?" From the death of hamnet to the making of hamlet, it is a story of embracing the grief and keeping them alive in your memories rather than dwelling into darkness, It's a story of a mother and father who are torn apart between the love for their child and the love for each other. It presents the tragedy and its pain with care and detail. Its a mature and thoughtfully crafted film that soothes your soul at the end. I love how it so humanely portrays the deep love of parents for their children, the pain, and the joy. And the performances in those characters are absolutely perfect, especially Jessie Buckley, her portrayal of agnes's agony, her love, her sacrifice, her grief is so effective and moving. The casting of the kids was also perfect. Paul mescal really shines in the final stages of the film, he knows how to project pain with his acting. And he does it yet again. The most interesting part of the film for me is how Chloe placed both Agnes & William in this film, these are like two elemental characters. Agnes is like nature ever present, ever caring and providing all the time. Whereas William is like a cloud, always drifting away slowly from the family, but strikes like thunder when tragedy hits. And the climax i feel is him(cloud) projecting his sorrow/pain(rain) in the form he knows best. Its just so magical how you can perceive these characters than what they just are on the screen. Most films set in Medieval or Renaissance era have a certain color grading or artificial atmosphere glossed over in the Cinematography, but what i loved in this film is how naturalistic it looks, no glossy color grading, just pure minimalist cinematography letting the characters and timeline feel more immersive and beautiful to look at just like you are watching a play. I noticed with some reviews that some cinephiles not liking it, it made me think how the theater audiences are often also film buffs, but not all film buffs are not interested in theater, but for me this film is a perfect ode to any artform, and shows how it can heal your wounds, how we relate to the characters and situations to our lives and find comfort in it. Just like how Agnes bids adieu to her grief through the play of hamlet.