Hamnet Movie: London Win & Oscar Buzz

The Shakespeare Drama Taking Over Awards Season

Chloé Zhao's Hamnet has emerged as a powerhouse in the film world, recently winning the prestigious Audience Award at the 2025 London Film Festival while simultaneously dominating Oscar predictions for 2026. This stirring adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's acclaimed novel reimagines the personal tragedy that may have inspired Shakespeare's Hamlet, featuring standout performances by Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal.

London Film Festival Triumph

Hamnet made headlines at this year's London Film Festival, where it was presented as the Mayor of London Gala. The film's emotional resonance resonated deeply with audiences, leading to its selection as the Audience Award winner by the British Film Institute (BFI). The event shattered attendance records with 235,853 attendees across 252 titles from 79 countries. Director Chloé Zhao attended the screening alongside stars Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal, as well as powerhouse producers Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes.

The win at LFF follows the film's earlier successes at the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, where it secured the coveted People's Choice Award—a strong predictor of Oscar momentum.

Oscar Front-Runner Status

In a dramatic shift in the awards race, Hamnet has overtaken Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another to become the frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar at the 2026 ceremony. According to Gold Derby odds, the film now holds a 96.8% chance of nomination compared to 95.8% for its closest competitor.

The film's awards potential extends beyond Best Picture. Zhao is a strong contender for Best Director (95.4% odds), while Jessie Buckley leads in the Best Actress category (96.0%) and Paul Mescal is gaining momentum in Best Actor. The film's screenplay—based on O'Farrell's award-winning novel—has also been praised for its nuanced adaptation.

Critical Acclaim and Emotional Depth

Early reviews highlight Hamnet as one of Zhao's most emotionally resonant works. As The Spool notes, the film "unflinchingly chronicles corporal agony" while exploring how love endures beyond loss. Zhao's signature naturalistic direction and Łukasz Żal's cinematography create a visceral, intimate portrait of grief.

Buckley's performance as Agnes is particularly lauded, revealing the "fascinating layers" in a historical figure often reduced to a footnote. The review emphasizes how Zhao "unearths all the compelling material" in Shakespeare's wife, portraying her as a multidimensional woman with "unflinching approach to death" and "complicated response to William's absences."

The film avoids biopic clichés, focusing instead on universal themes of family, loss, and resilience. Critics note its striking visual contrasts between Agnes's vibrant red dress and the muted Tudor landscapes, as well as surreal sequences representing death's haunting presence.

Why Hamnet Matters

At its core, Hamnet transforms Shakespeare's legacy into a deeply personal story. By centering on Agnes—a woman dismissed by society as "that witch in the woods"—the film gives voice to overlooked historical figures while exploring timeless human experiences. As LFF director Kristy Matheson observed, this year's festival proved "the joy and comfort we all find in screen culture," with Hamnet embodying that connection through its emotional authenticity.

With awards season heating up and audiences responding powerfully to its storytelling, Hamnet is positioning itself as a defining cinematic event of 2025-2026. Whether it captures the Oscar remains to be seen, but its impact on viewers and the awards conversation is undeniable.

For film enthusiasts, Hamnet offers both a poignant historical drama and a masterclass in contemporary filmmaking—a testament to Chloé Zhao's unique vision and the enduring power of Shakespeare's family story.