Hamnet

Based on the historical novel of the same name, Hamnet offers a fictionalized telling of William Shakespeare's (Paul Mescal) family and the series of events that could (depending on what scholars you believe) have played into the playwright's finest tragedy. Whether or not the account is accurate, there is no debate that director Chloé Zhao (who co-wrote the screenplay with the novel's author Maggie O'Farrell) delivers a heartbreaking, yet ultimately cathartic, emotional tour de force that won't leave a dry eye in the house.

Along with Mescal's Shakespeare we get Jessie Buckley as his wife. Agnes is presented woman of the forest with witchy tendencies and visions of the future also smart enough to know her husband's limitations (but not enough to prevent her from leveling blame him for decisions she makes for them both). She's the heart of the film while also providing a bit of magic and wonder to the daily family life in the absence of her husband making his mark in London.

And rounding out the trio is Emily Watson giving an equally strong performance as Will's mother Mary who has concerns about the marriage between the pair but will find common ground with her daughter-in-law over Mary's three grandchildren. You can make a strong case for each grasping a statute on Oscar night.

Bodhi Rae Breathnach plays Susanna, the oldest of the three children, with Olivia Lynes and Jacobi Jupe as the younger twins, Judith and Hamnet (for which the film is named). With little known about the private lives of Shakespeare's family, there's plenty of poetic license taken by the screenwriters, but the raw waves of emotion from entire cast hits hard with a soul-crushing depth and true understanding of tragedy.

Even without knowing exactly where the film would lead, there's plenty of foreshadowing of dark days ahead even at the heights of the pair's courtship. I'd suggest knowing as few of the details as possible concerning the plot (which I won't spoil here), but even if you do know a bit of the history of Shakespeare's family I doubt that will lessen the impact of it seeing the emotional wrought played out on-screen.

Chloé Zhao delivers one of the best films of the year. Hamnet is a gut-wrenchingly beautiful film about love, family, and the kind of pain that can only be shared through story.

• Title: Hamnet
• IMDb: link