HAMNET

HAMNET adapts Maggie O’Farrell’s acclaimed novel, imagining the emotional aftermath of the death of William Shakespeare’s son. Rather than focusing on the playwright himself, the film centres on Agnes, a woman attuned to nature, instinct and grief. Zhao approaches the material with restraint, building the story through gesture, landscape and silence rather than theatrical spectacle.

Music plays a subtle but crucial role. The score, composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, is spare and textural, built around strings and low, resonant tones that feel almost physical. Guðnadóttir, known for her work on JOKER and CHERNOBYL, uses minimal melodic lines to mirror absence and loss. The soundtrack does not instruct emotion, it deepens it, allowing quiet scenes to breathe while binding the narrative together.