We would love you to join us for this once a month opportunity for adult members of the community to come together for fun, camaraderie, learning, sharing food and film.
10.30 – Exploration workshop examining the themes, context, characters, ideas and plot of the film as well as examining the acting styles and direction.
12.30 – Lunch (please bring your own), teas and coffees can be purchased
13.30 – Watching the film explored in the workshop
Hamnet is adapted from the 2020 novel written by Maggie O’Farrell, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and tells the powerful story of love and loss. Hamnet was, records tell us, William Shakespeare’s son, who died at the age of 11 in 1596 and is thought to have inspired, at the very least, the title of Hamlet, the story of a young prince who meets a tragic end. The first recorded performances of Hamlet took place at the Globe Theatre in London a few years before.
The story is a mix of research and speculation into Shakespeare’s personal life, starting with his rapturous romance with a farmer’s daughter, Anne Hathaway; the arrival of their three children; and the effect of Hamnet’s death and Shakespeare’s career on their marriage.
Both the book and the film suggest that Shakespeare wrote his greatest play as a means of processing his grief over his son’s death, although Hamlet is often referred to as a more complex masterwork. However, the heart of the film is Anne, though here, as in certain historical documents, she’s referred to as Agnes, a gifted healer with a deep connection to the earth who falls into a passionate romance with William.
‘Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal excel in stately Shakespeare drama with overwhelming finale’ – Guardian ★★★★
The Bonington
