The rest of the world are getting crap january for films & we are getting awards season (& crap season but still). Its time to go see Hamnet & hope i finally enjoy a chloe movie. Its got to break the cycle at some point right.

My 7:50 wednesday night showing had about 30 people in my screening. I did have a row to myself which was very nice. IT was mainly millennials which was very good, we clearly are all the group driving cinema viewing habits at the moment.

Trailers, the new statham, no other choice, rental family (always odd when youve already seen it), is this thing on (cant believe bish’ life is a bloody movie) & crime 101.

& then the film started… i cried twice.

I am going to start off by saying something a lot of people wont like… I dont like Chloes directing style. I’ve tried to get on with it but it just seems to make everything last like 5 hours when the film is like 90mins long. I get some of it at points, there are lots of longing shots in this film that stay for several bits, but there were some where i was just like is she obsessed with the tree here. & then there was another one where i was like hang on why did we cut away that was powerful why didnt we linger on that. It frustrates me im afraid to say. Also because of the slow pace it means that when there are moments of urgency it just takes too too long. It made the flow of the movie jilted.

Why was it building to the reveal that he was William Shakespeare? I dont get that. A 6 year old could have told you that, & then the reveal was so subtle if youd not been paying attention youd have missed it which was just like hang on. That being said if we could every 30 months or so get Paul Mescal performing Shakespeare, i would not complain, because damn when he got going it was marvellous & left chills down my spine.

When i first started writing this review i said Jessie will probably get the oscar… we now know she has won it. Its a phenomenal performance, which captivates & moves you & is so so good. My only issue is Jessie has been doing this for years, so it wasnt a shock that she was so so good in this. It just who she is. She is just that good & we bloody love her.

I mentioned earlier that i cried twice, but it was more thinking of my sister & her child. Im not even a mum but i sat there watching some tragic births, deaths & grieving & all i could think about was my sister & her little girl. That broke me more.

The birth scenes were extremely traumatic & a little bit shocking someone actually left me screening when one of them happened. I get births not pretty especially back then but it was a little bit much at points. Although going to the forest &then being pissed off you cant go is brilliant.

Im glad they did show a lot of the play & the globe as well. It is rather spectacular seeing it like that, but id be so pissed off that she was talking through like the first 20 mins of the play moaning that its not right then barged her way to the front for the rest of it. I would have been angry at that. Ruining my experience even back then.

There were some plot points that it casually mentioned that i thought would be mentioned again but it just didnt, like her hand, the river being bad, & there were at least 2 more & i was like well i need to remember this, it will be important later. Fuck no it was. Only the bird taking things away made any real sense. It is a nice way to explain passing on to kids though. A clever way to deal with grief.

I am glad ive seen this & i was thoroughly impressed by the acting in it, but the directing & the actual story just werent for me. I can appreciate the art but it just didnt hit the right tone or flow for me.