Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley's Hamnet has impressed critics at the Telluride Film Festival and has earned a 100% score on the website Rotten Tomatoes, with some saying the Irish stars will be in contention at the Oscars.
Directed by the Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, The Rider), Hamnet "tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, Hamlet".
Mescal plays William Shakespeare and Buckley plays Agnes, his wife.
Hamnet is based on the bestseller of the same name by author Maggie O'Farrell, with O'Farrell and Zhao adapting the book for the screen.
The film also stars Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn.
"Buckley is nothing less than magical," said The Wrap. "She can singlehandedly break your heart with one glance or gesture and is, put simply, brilliant."
"Hamnet isn't just a masterful film; it's a genuine emotional experience from a director tapping into something remarkable," added Next Best Picture.
"Anchored by the primordial rawness of Buckley's astonishing performance, Hamnet is never the least bit at risk of reducing Agnes to a trope," noted IndieWire. "If anything, the film regards her as an even more powerful creative force than her husband."
Entertainment publication Variety has said the film is "emotionally raw" and "almost excruciating at times".
Hamnet will be in US cinemas in November and in Irish cinemas on Friday 9 January 2026.
