Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel, has emerged as a dark horse in the 2026 Oscar race, earning a Best Picture nomination despite mixed advance buzz. The film, which premiered at Telluride, is one of two Focus Features contenders alongside Bugonia. Deadline's review hails it as 'unlike anything else' and 'a knockout,' praising Zhao as 'just about as good a filmmaker as any working today.'
Set in 16th-century England, the drama centres on Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and her husband William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), exploring how personal tragedy shaped the playwright's art. Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, and David Wilmot also star. Deadline notes the film's 'quiet determination to say much about how art is affected by life,' with Buckley and Mescal achieving 'new heights of their talents.'
Produced by Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes among others, Hamnet defies easy categorisation. Its intimate scale and emotional restraint mark a departure from Zhao's earlier blockbuster Eternals. With the Academy Awards on 15 March, the film's critical support may boost its chances against frontrunners like One Battle After Another and Sinners.
