Hamnet (2025)

For all of the praise heaped upon it, and all of the love it has already received, I found myself not enjoying Hamnet, for the most part. I was impressed by the lead performances, both Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are excellent, but I wasn't particularly invested in it, or moved by the painful core of it. Or so I thought. Then something happened near the very end of the film and I was in tears, the entire essence of the film unfurling in front of me like some flower coming into bloom. I don't know if others will feel the same way, but I encourage you all to have patience with this until the very end.

Buckley plays Agnes, a woman who weds a certain William Shakespeare (Mescal). After an intense and secretive start to their relationship, things must progress quickly when Agnes becomes pregnant. Agnes is eventually left for periods of time to look after their children while Shakespeare spends time in London seeing if he can make any kind of living from this writing lark. Not present for the death of his son, Shakespeare seems unable to console and support his wife, and she's not even sure how impacted he is by the event. But it turns out that he is devastated, and tries to convey his emotions in a play that explores grief and family, and also happens to be one of the best ever written.

Based on the novel by Maggie O'Farrell, who helped to adapt it into screenplay form with director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet is a decent enough film, for the most part, until it sneaks up to you and delivers a one-two gut punch in the third act. Hearing very familiar quotes completely reframed by new context that the story focuses on makes everything feel more emotional and resonant, and the destination makes the uneven journey completely worthwhile. I still wouldn't consider this quite as praiseworthy as many others would, but it's certainly worth watching at least once.

Mescal and Buckley are both as good as you'd expect, the latter being recognised for her performance with a number of awards already. The character isn't a million miles away from others that she tends to play though, but she's consistently great, particularly when it comes to the moments that require her to be wracked with real heartache. Mescal has to work around a couple of moments that deliver "Shakespeare 101" soundbites, but certainly looks and feels absolutely right playing such a literary icon. Emily Watson and David Wilmot both excel as the senior Shakespeares, with Watson becoming warmer and more considerate as she accepts her son becoming his own man, and Joe Alwyn is welcome in his small role, playing Bartholomew (brother of Agnes). All of the younger cast members also do well, although the focus is on Jacobi Jupe in the titular role.

Very good, but not great, yet it has one truly memorable moment that moved me more than anything else I have watched in the past year. I could see other people sneering at it though, which would leave the film with very little else to offer them. I have to figure out if that one moment is enough to elevate the entire film, but I don't think it is. The feature is decidedly okay, if a bit overlong and lacking any decent flow, so it all averages out to still being very good. And still being not great.

7/10

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The Spruces And The Pines (2017)

"Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair New England, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of tree-cross'd lovers find each other in life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows, Do with their larking about hope to bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their Christmas-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's stern rebuke, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' (with sponsored adverts) traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."

Apologies for butchering the words of Shakespeare there. I am no mighty bard, and could do no more than change a few words here and there to serve as an introduction to The Spruces And The Pines. But I had to make the effort, because this film is a reworking of Romeo & Juliet, with the action moved from Verona to a small town that contains a couple of Christmas Tree Farms. Rick Spruce (Nick Ballard) has turned up to work at one farm, for his uncle (Ken Cheeseman). Julie Pine (Jonna Walsh) has turned up to work at the other farm, helping out her father (Tom Kemp). The two find themselves attracted to one another before realising that they shouldn't, leading to a troubled time as Julie tries to convince Rick that they can't get involved . . . for all of ten seconds. The rest of the movie involves the two of them getting on just fine until their respective patriarchal figures discover just what has been going on, immediately forbidding their blossoming romance.

While there's enough here to enjoy at the right time of year, just, The Spruces And The Pines is a film that takes that most famous tale of forbidden love and dilutes it, one cup of mulled wine at a time, until it barely resembles the source material it stemmed from. This would seem to be the fault of screenwriter Marcy Holland, although I suspect that nobody will start viewing this and expect it to end in a depressing finale involving poison and death. Director John Stimpson doesn't help much, relying on the leads to carry the material, without having leads who are quite up to the task.

I'm not saying that Walsh and Ballard are bad. They're just not great, and they never sell any of the more serious moments, as infrequent as they are. They're enjoyable enough in the lighter moments, and you get musical interpretations of a classic holiday song accompanying a montage to help win you over. Cheeseman and Kemp are even more hampered, in some ways. They have to stay feuding rivals throughout, being angered with each other for the silliest of reasons. Sarah Fischer and John MacGregor do slightly better, as Holly and Josh, two friends of the main characters who see the growing love and are always available to help with pranks and any scheming.

On the plus side, this is slightly different (but only slightly) from the multitude of other Christmas movies being shown on rotation at this time of year. That doesn't make it necessarily better, I'm afraid, but at least it can give you a break if you have already had your fill of Santa, elves, or sad children needing to find the kind of gift that can't be placed under a tree.

5/10

Here is a large selection of Christmas movies to enjoy.
And American elves can pick the same set up here.