The duo star in Oscar winner Chloe Zhao‘s film, based on Maggie O’Farrell’s book of the same name, centers around William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes as they navigate their grief over the loss of their son.
Early reviews of "Hamnet" have heaped praise on the director, and many have added that the Irish actors have put in their best performances to date, so we shouldn’t be surprised if we see them earn many an award nomination when the season kicks off later this year.
The review on Deadline reads: "What ensues becomes the film’s undisputed highlight, a punch to the gut that will leave you shaken as well as in tears.
"Buckley, who can do no wrong, is sensational and the beating heart of the story as a young woman who ran free and marched to her own drummer, but who became a fiercely protective and devoted mother.
"Mescal is equally very fine as the world’s most famous playwright, but this is a side of the Bard we have never seen and the actor brings deep unleashed power to his performance."
Jessie Buckley in "Hamnet".
Variety said: "The evening cemented a respect for Zhao as one of today’s most urgent and captivating auteurs, steering what may be two of the finest performances of the year from Buckley and Mescal.
"[Buckley’s] a previous Oscar nominee for best supporting actress for 'The Lost Daughter', and now her first lead acting nomination is well within sight, as it stands as her best performance to date.
"Mescal, who received an Oscar nomination for 'Aftersun' (2022), takes on the monumental task of portraying the most famous playwright in history… A second nom (by estimation a leading one) is very possible."
Paul Mescal in "Hamnet."
The headline on IndieWire‘s review echoes more of the same, reading: "Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley rip the heart right out of your body in Chloé Zhao’s unspeakably devastating Shakespeare fanfic."
The review continues: "Anchored by the primordial rawness of Buckley’s astonishing performance, 'Hamnet' is never the least bit at risk of reducing Agnes to a trope. If anything, the film regards her as an even more powerful creative force than her husband.
"Between 'Aftersun', 'All of Us Strangers', and the upcoming 'The History of Sound', no actor in the last five years has made me cry more than Paul Mescal — not because he’s so f***ing good at playing wounded, but rather because he’s even better at playing the hurt of someone who doesn’t know how to heal themselves."
"Hamnet" is a fictional account of how the Shakespeare family grieved the loss of their son, Hamnet, who died aged 11.
The story highlights his parents’ relationship in the aftermath of his death, and how they navigated life without him, with the main focus being on Buckley’s Agnes.
Joining Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are the brilliant Emily Watson ("Small Things Like These", "Chernobyl"), and Joe Alwyn ("The Brutalist").
Hamnet lands in Irish cinemas on January 9 and you can check out the teaser trailer for the film below.
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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