Agata Grzybowska

IT WAS BACK IN 2020, as the world was going through a once-in-a-generation traumatic experience, that we first locked eyes with Paul Mescal. Not personally, of course, as we were all confined to our homes, but on screen. Locked down, we spent 12 hours of staring into the soulful, tormented eyes of Mescal’s Connell in Normal People, the angsty (and equally horny) Sally Rooney TV adaptation, which followed the turbulent relationship of schoolmates Connell and Marianne (the equally beguiling Daisy Edgar-Jones) through to adulthood.

Since then, Mescal’s gone on to cement himself as not only the world’s favourite short-shorts wearer, but as one of the finest actors of his generation, already picking up two BAFTAs and an Olivier award (for his turn as Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire, no less), and even cast as the gladiator in Ridley Scott’s long-awaited sequel film. But it’s Mescal’s particular brand of acting where he completely inhabits the character, and where he conveys the fullest, most intense range of emotions through the smallest, most subtle of expressions or gestures, that has made two of his best films so emotionally destroying.

Take Aftersun, Charlotte Wells’ affecting debut feature about a childhood holiday in the Nineties; where Mescal plays Calum, a young father struggling with mental health issues. Or All Of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh’s woozy, ethereal exploration of grief, where Mescal plays Harry; either Adam’s (Andrew Scott) lonely, drunk neighbour, or the love of his life, depending on how you read it. But now there’s another weepie to add to Mescal’s trauma-bonding canon, and that film is Hamnet. Check out the trailer below.

What is Hamnet about?

Hamnet, the 2020 novel written by Maggie O’Farrell, is inspired by the true life story of William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway (called Agnes Shakespeare in the book). Their son, Hamnet, died when he was 11 years old. It’s a fictionalised account of the emotional turmoil the parents went through, and what in turn may have led Shakespeare to write one of his most profound tragedies, Hamlet, just a few years after Hamnet’s death.

The film adaptation – directed by Chloé Zhao, who also co-wrote and co-produced the adaptation alongside O’Farrell – stars Mescal as Shakespeare, and Jessie Buckley as Agnes Shakespeare. Emily Watson will play Mary Shakespeare, William’s mum; Jacobi Jupe will feature as young Hamnet, and Mescal’s fellow ‘Tortured Man’ WhatsApp group member Joe Alwyn will play Agnes’ brother, Bartholomew.

This is well-trod territory for Mescal, who has explored complicated family dynamics in Aftersun and emotionally fraught relationships in All of Us Strangers. We expect him to shine.

Look, how sad is Hamnet going to be?

A good indication is if you managed to make it through the trailer without tearing up. No? Exactly. It’s going to be a heart-wrenching, choked-sobbing 125 minutes. And don’t say that the critics didn’t warn you; early previews of the film have led Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri to declare it “the most devastating movie I’ve seen in years”, while Deadline’s Pete Hammond said it is “a punch to the gut that will leave you shaken, as well as in tears.” Indie Wire’s David Ehrlich promises the “unspeakably devastating” film will “​rip the heart right out of your body”. Rightio. Best not make any plans immediately after leaving the cinema.

When is Hamnet out?

Hamnet is out in the US on November 27, and will hit screens two months later in Australia on January 15. Nice of the Aussie distributors not to let it scar Christmas for us, we guess.

A version of this story originally appeared on Esquire UK.

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