Storytelling for the Screen: Hamnet

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Director Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet (2025) revolves around Agnes (Jessie Buckley), a singular woman sensitive to the natural world around her. She finds a home and starts a family with William (Paul Mescal), a local tutor and aspiring playwright, before tragedy transforms their lives. Adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, Hamnet reimagines the life of William Shakespeare and the writing of Hamlet through the lens of the loss of a child. Widely acclaimed upon release, the film earned numerous accolades including acting awards for Jessie Buckley from the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, SAG-AFTRA, and BAFTA, and was nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards.

The Carsey-Wolf Center is delighted to present a screening of Hamnet in conjunction with the UCSB Library exhibition Infinite Variety: The Many Lives of Shakespeare’s Texts. Jean Feerick (English, John Carroll University) will join moderator Jim Kearney (English, UCSB) for pre- and post-screening discussions of Hamnet and its relationship to Shakespeare’s life and work.