Hamnet: Chloé Zhao’s historical drama, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a young couple, he a budding playwright and she a herbalist, as they get married and, later, deal with the grief of losing a son to the plague. As the playwright is a certain William Shakespeare, the film is a spiritual, conceptual making-off of a small play named “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. If the first half of the film is a bit dry (even if efficiently told, with an even and pleasurable pace), the second half is heartbreaking and truly special. Jessie Buckley is a tad actorly at times, but she generally is fascinating to watch, from her luminous smile to the heartbreak and back. Paul Mescal is equally good as the young Shakespeare, also projecting all the grief beautifully. Jacobi Jupe is enchanting as the title character, and his real-life brother Noah Jupe is special as the prince in the play. Cinematographer Łukasz Żal captures the action beautifully, keeping the film alive with colour (the ever-present red in Buckley’s dresses is memorable). The costume and production designs, by Malgosia Turzanska and Fiona Crombie, respectively, are very efficient. Composer Max Richter’s musical score is beautiful and touching.