Death, tears and Shakespeare in Zhao's Hamnet

Chloé Zhao's film about the death of Shakespeare's son is devastating

- Agencies

"Why are you making me cry?" It's an ironic question for Chloé Zhao, of all people, to be asking the morning after premiering Hamnet at the Toronto International Film Festival. On the festival circuit this fall, no film has spawned more of an outpouring of emotion than Hamnet, a speculative drama about William Shakespeare, his wife, Agnes, and the death of their 11-year-old son. Since first playing at the Telluride Festival, Zhao's adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's acclaimed 2020 novel has left a trail of weeping moviegoers.

"When you love something so much—I'm not a mother, I haven't had children, I'd like to—but I imagine when you love something so much, the greatest love you can give is to let go," Zhao says. "I got a glimpse of what that feels like."

It's probably a sign of the power of