Hamnet
Score: A
Directed by Chloe Zhao
Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal
Running time: 126 minutes
Rated PG-13
Hamnet is an excellent historical tragedy, a story involving the world's greatest playwright but focusing on his family in more universal terms rather than serving as a biopic. The movie is an adaptation of a 2020 novel that I'm not familiar with, but that wasn't important to understanding or enjoying the film. Beyond not being a Shakespeare biopic, the main character is in fact Agnes, his wife. Magnificently played by Jessie Buckley, Agnes is a fascinating person. More or less raised as a pagan, the movie handles this beautifully: it's a major element, but complementary to (not distracting from) the more regular human drama. Her falconry is majestic, its clear spiritual bond powerful; Agnes is a woman of nature, spending most of her time (pre-family) in the woods, where a mysterious cave is both a potent symbol on its own and has a striking connection with the play. Agnes is also smart enough to adapt to standard domestic life of the time, inspired to do so by her love for William. She wins over her mother-in-law and even understands better than William himself what the struggling, frustrated genius needs - even if that results in him moving away. Agnes doesn't have much of a life of her own, but she seems to fully embrace motherhood, raising essentially by herself three wonderful children. This is Shakespeare-based, though, and tragedy befalls the family. I'll admit that I cried - several times - as the camera is unflinching, unsparing of any of the characters' pain which the actors marvelously and genuinely show. It's not at all manipulative or gratuitous, and yet not numbingly depressing, either. Finally, the movie does indulge us with an abbreviated performance of Hamlet itself, which ingeniously though subtly syncs the family's story with William's masterpiece. I like this movie the more I think about it, even though it doesn't connect with me in especially personal or cultural (this is the 16th century, after all) ways. It stands on its own - bravo!
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Send Help
Score: A-
Directed by Sam Raimi
Starring Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien
Running time: 115 minutes
Rated R
Send Help is a tremendously entertaining, impressively creative new take on the deserted-island-survivor genre, a pleasant change of pace at the theater. I should next say that you might want to defer reading the rest of this review until after you've seen the movie, as I think knowing as little as possible before will be particularly rewarding in this case. That said, director Raimi showcases his filmmaking skills and distinctive style to great effect. I have not seen any of his more straightforward horror movies, but even titles like Spider-Man, his Oz spinoff, and especially Doctor Strange 2 showcase a neat creepy (in a good way) vibe along with occasional jump scares. Send Help is ideally suited for this style. Rachel McAdams also shows an impressive range of acting, starting out as Linda, a meek, socially awkward but hardworking, successful office drone. It's laid on thick, from close-ups on her tuna-smeared lips to her cooing to her lone companion, Sweetie the cockatiel. The company CEO's heir, Bradley, is the only other survivor who washes ashore with Linda, and even while he completely depends on her (thanks to her literal Survivor TV prep), still treats her like dirt. It's a pretty standard feminist scenario for turning the tables on the obnoxious, entitled bro. Which is satisfying, yet Raimi makes it even more interesting with Linda's darker turn. We get just a little of the obligatory "this is how they are surviving" cues, and then the movie focuses on the gripping, evolving, tense relationship between Linda and Bradley. This is both internal and dialogue-based, but also often quite directly physical. While you guess at motives and plans, you're treated to a breathless boar hunt, squirm-inducing interrogation, and a finale that is actually both well-earned and legitimately exciting and well-done (unlike many other movies' endings). See this one in the theater for maximum effect, but in any event, just see it!
***
This double review represents a transition, with Hamnet likely being the final 2025-released movie I see in a theater, and Send Help being the first 2026 movie I've seen in the theater. Fortunately for me, both are outstanding movies that were well worth the trip to the theater. Hamnet is very near the top of my 2025 movie list (I'll be posting my 2025 movie awards/overview soon!), in many ways a fairly straightforward drama that searingly focuses on its characters. Not a fun movie, but very rewarding. Send Help is in fact terrifically entertaining even as it is lighter in (but not bereft of) deeper meaning. Send Help, though, actually gives me more hope for the future of movies, as it represents a blockbuster-ish type release that is imbued with the distinctive creative stamp of a great director and is just strongly made all around, as well as being simply very entertaining. Too many movies are launched on the basis of an interesting premise, perhaps also featuring some good/great actors, but the writing and directing is uninspired at best and overall quality - and entertainment value - mediocre or worse. So please, please, please Hollywood - look to Send Help as a shining example of empowering the most talented filmmakers and setting them loose on the many interesting ideas waiting for the right opportunity.
* By Focus Features - https://www.focusfeatures.com/hamnet, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81300449
** By https://dam.gettyimages.com/s/3j9twnzs3mc24f94zc9k5x, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81341066
