Hamnet

Set in rural Warwickshire, Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet feels like it was made for WSC. It’s easy to assume this is a Shakespeare story, but Zhao focuses instead on Agnes, played beautifully by Jesse Buckley, and the quiet, painful love that holds her family together. Paul Mescal gives another heartbreakingly gentle performance as the father weighed down by grief, while Buckley brings an earthy energy that grounds the film.

Hamnet moves at its own pace, full of small moments that ache and breathe all at once. Zhao manages to capture a delicate space between love and loss. WSC regulars will remember the collective sobs during All of Us Strangers — fair warning, this one might elicit a similar reaction.

Hashir