Hamnet
PG-13

Hamnet

Keep your heart open.

2025 • 125 min • Drama · Romance

Synopsis

The powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Our family guide

Best from age 13
66
Movie Knight Score
1500 reviews
  • 60 Reviewers · 5 · 65%
  • 77 Audience · 1495 · 35%

This historical drama explores the life of Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, and the profound grief that followed the loss of their son, Hamnet. It delves into their marriage and the creative inspiration behind Hamlet.

Violence & peril
2/10
Language
2/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking
2/10
Romance & sensuality
3/10
Scary moments
3/10

Heads up

  • Deals with the death of a child
  • Some implied marital intimacy
  • Period setting might be somber at times

What it models well

  • Resilience in the face of loss
  • The power of creative expression
  • Enduring love and partnership
  • Maternal strength

Talk about it after

  • Coping with grief and loss
  • Historical context of the 16th century
  • The inspiration behind great art
  • The roles of women in history

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Hamnet. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

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Top billed cast

Director: Chloé Zhao • Crew: Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell

Trailers & clips

Jessie Buckley Best Actress Press Room Speech | 98th Oscars (2026)

Chloé Zhao on Cast and Crew Bringing Emotion to the Set of HAMNET

Jessie Buckley Wins the Leading Actress BAFTA for Hamnet | EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026

Hamnet Wins the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film | EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026

Why author and screenplay co-writer Maggie O'Farrell wrote HAMNET.

"Bye" Official Clip

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Reviewer notes

Recommended

Atmospheric, heartwrenching, and dark. This is not 'Shakespeare in Love'. This is the tragedy of the bard, even though we know that historically he was not quite that good of a husband to his wife. The movie is more about the indominability of spirit of Anna and the sorrows she faced in her life, with her children, family, strife and death. The movie is beautiful, dark and soulcrushing, in a way.…

Not recommended

I was trying to order a cheeseburger, but the clerk couldn't hear me, because Carmina Burana was playing too loudly. Then the guy next to me started crying, because the final scene from Godfather III was playing on the scene next to the clerk. Then the woman on my other side starting crying, and the the clerk, too. Then Maggie laughed. She's such a little angel.…

Recommended

Maggie O’Farrell said at this screening that adapting her novel for the screen was akin to watching the sand flow through an hour glass. She started with something extensive, whittled it down to 90-odd pages and then gave it to a director (Chloé Zhao) who frilled it all out again to make a couple of hours for the screen that is somewhat different from the original.…

Not recommendedTrusted family reviewers

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, though there’s some disagreement about whether he actually wrote the materials attributed to him. Even sketchier than this are some of the details about his personal life, aspects of his character that have been the subject of much conjecture, especially where they may have influenced his literary undertakings.…

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/hamnet-review/ "Hamnet is a true work of art that, despite its slow march and some more challenging moments for the uninitiated, rewards perseverance. It's a film about how pain destroys, but also about the miracle of how art can serve as a vessel for redemption or, at least, for understanding.…

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Gallery

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Details

TMDB audience
7.7/10 (1,495)
Age rating
PG-13
Status
Released
Budget
$30,000,000
Box office
$107,756,183

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