Telluride 2025: First Reactions to Chloé Zhao’s HAMNET

Courtesy Focus Features

The Telluride Film Festival kicked off yesterday, and reactions to some big world premieres are starting to hit social media.

HAMNET is a historical drama co-written, co-edited and directed by Chloé Zhao, based on Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel of the same name. It stars Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, and Joe Alwyn.

The film is a fictional story about the life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes Shakespeare, following the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet.

Hamnet had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival, and will be given a limited theatrical release in the US on November 27th, 2025, by Focus Features, expanding nationwide on December 12th.

Here are the first reactions out of Telluride:

---

'Hamnet' Review: Jessie Buckley And Paul Mescal Magnificent In Chloe Zhao's Stunning Emotional Story Of Love, Death, Shakespeare, And Art - Telluride Film Festival https://t.co/D2vRlZVRit

— Deadline (@DEADLINE) August 30, 2025

'Hamnet' Review: Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal Are a Wonder in Chloé Zhao's Gorgeous and Shattering Shakespeare-Inspired Drama https://t.co/9aYfch3XYx

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 30, 2025

#Hamnet review: It's impossible to understate how radical — and for some, no doubt unwatchable — Chloé Zhao's adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel turned out. https://t.co/QHSaOQ6fta

— Variety (@Variety) August 30, 2025

HAMNET destroyed me, and it will probably destroy you, too. https://t.co/PlYAfuoyfB

— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) August 30, 2025

‘Hamnet’ Review: Jessie Buckley & Paul Mescal Are Utterly Extraordinary In Chloe Zhao’s Expressionistic Wonder [Telluride] https://t.co/zVgy5AFfwg pic.twitter.com/hGRyDPr3j6

— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) August 30, 2025

Is it even a Telluride without being devastated by Paul Mescal? Hamnet is one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful movies I’ve ever seen. Jessie Buckley is so primal, feral and stunning. Might be Mescal’s best performance. It’s the best film of the year. #Telluride pic.twitter.com/3wsnNWDan8

— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) August 30, 2025

Devastated by HAMNET. A gut-wrenching tale of the way grief pulls us apart, and how we try to pull ourselves back together again.

Buckley and Mescal are astounding, and Zhao’s sensitive, naturalistic direction makes everything work.

So much more to process. pic.twitter.com/THc1lGZqfa

— Daniel Howat @ Telluride (@howatdk) August 30, 2025

#Hamnet broke my heart. Simply devastated by how deeply I felt this film. In a way, it’s a perfect film. Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal deliver in ways I never thought possible. It really kind of broke me. 💔 pic.twitter.com/EwFfyWRtlB

— Clarence Moye @ Telluride Film Festival (@ClarenceMoye) August 30, 2025

HAMNET: devastating, gorgeous, technically immaculate. Hardest I’ve cried in a movie in years (really!) and with my favorite performance of the year, from the incomparable Jessie Buckley. Chloe Zhao, back on very fine form. #Telluride

— David Canfield (@davidcanfield97) August 30, 2025

An astonishingly beautiful adaptation of the novel — Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet broke me. Buckley delivers the performance of the year. Mescal is incredible. The score is breathtaking. Extraordinary. #tellluridefilmfestival pic.twitter.com/7XXS0R15Mw

— Christina Jeurling Birro (@ChristinaBirro) August 30, 2025

Hamnet aka Shakespeare in Agony. possibly the single worst movie you could ever hope to see on a work trip away from your son who just cried over FaceTime about how much he misses you even tho you only left yesterday. could barely breathe through the 2nd half. beyond wrenching 👍🏻

— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) August 30, 2025

---