Last updated: 26 March 2026
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
This Hamnet film review has been a long time coming. When Maggie O'Farrell's award-winning 2020 novel landed, it felt like the kind of book that would resist adaptation entirely. Too interior, too sensory, too delicately constructed. And then Chloé Zhao signed on to direct, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley were cast, and suddenly the prospect became very real. The result, now available on Prime Video and on DVD/Blu-ray in the UK, is one of the most emotionally powerful films of recent years. It is not flawless, but its final minutes are nothing short of extraordinary.
Cool Factor: 4/5 — Stone cold
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