This week brings the December edition of our Film Series at The MCA Cube in Northfield on Friday Dec.12.

We screen and discuss The Holdovers (2023) directed by Alexander Payne. Doors open at 6:30pm and the film begins at 7pm. If you can, please bring non-perishable food and personal items for donations to the Metro State University Denver food pantry. Our students and staff need it more than ever. Thank you in advance, and I hope to see you there. Tickets are available at https://www.mca80238.com/mca-calendar/cube-cinema-series-holdovers

I also have a review of one of this year’s best films, and a favorite in the Oscar race. It is playing in theaters, so get out to see it, especially while movie theaters still exist.

Hamnet (2025)

The last time we heard from Chloé Zhao on the national stage, she was accepting the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland (2020).  That film also won for Best Picture, and her latest may do the same at the next Academy Awards in March. Based on the book of the same name by Maggie O’Farrell, the film tells the fictionalized account of William Shakespeare’s writing of Hamlet. We don’t know a lot about the Bard’s personal life, but we do know that he had a son named Hamnet (the name was interchangeable with Hamlet in the 16th century) who died at the age of 11. The book and film tell the story of Shakespeare meeting his wife Agnes, starting a family in rural England, and finally, producing his play Hamlet after his son’s death.

Let’s forget about plot and history for moment.

This is an extremely affecting film. It starts out slightly ethereal and works its way into a more conventional narrative about midway through the film. Will and Agnes have a child, live a sparse life in the country, and then have twins a few years later. Will, in the meantime, has found “work in the city,” which we come to find out later, is, in fact, William Shakespeare on his way to becoming the greatest playwright in history. But the film wisely prefers to spend its time with Agnes and her children while Will is away, and that is what grounds the film. Agnes is a free spirit who loves her children fiercely and protects them from a dirty and brutal world. Will is rarely there. When one of the twins gets sick, it triggers a series of intense and emotional events that propels the film through its second half.

The writing and acting jump out: Jessie Buckley as Agnes is rough, fiery, and powerful while Paul Mescal as Will is brooding, volatile, and mercurial. They are a dynamic pair, and the actors bring soul and beauty to their characters. When a film is so superbly acted, it points back to the director. Zhao is masterful, and the film is immersive.

Hamnet picked up six Golden Globe nominations this week.