A trailer has been released for Hamnet, based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel, directed by Oscar-winner director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and starring Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, Emily Watson, and Joe Alwyn. Written by Zhao and O'Farrell, the film will be released November 27.
From the Toronto Film Festival's synopsis: "In William Shakespeare's day, the names Hamlet and Hamnet were interchangeable. The newest film by Chloé Zhao... uses that context as the basis for a tender exploration of Shakespeare's domestic life, connecting a family tragedy to one of his most famous works.... Many historical accounts preface reports of Hamnet's death with statistics about how common child mortality was in the 16th century, as though it barely made an impact. Hamnet rejects that premise, presenting Shakespeare not as a distant, untouchable genius but as a real man whose literary prowess was irrevocably impacted by his domestic life."