IRISH actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal were in Canada this week as their latest film won a top award at the Toronto film festival.
The pair star in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, a period film based on Irish author Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 book of the same name.
Set in 16th century England, it tells the story of the death of William Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son, and examines the relationship between the playwright and his wife.
For the film, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) yesterday (September 15), Kildare-born Mescal plays Shakespeare, while Co. Kerry native Buckley plays his wife Agnes.
Jessie Buckley as Agnes in Hamnet (Pic: Focus Films)“Based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet’s main character isn’t The Bard - played here by an impressive Paul Mescal - or even the child who gives the film its name,” a TIFF spokesperson said this week.
“Hamnet belongs to Agnes, Shakespeare’s thoughtful wife, played by an enthralling Jessie Buckley, who bathes the film in her warmth,” they add.
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal in Hamnet which is set for release in November (Pic: Focus Films)“Many historical accounts preface reports of Hamnet’s death with statistics about how common child mortality was in the 16th century, as though it barely made an impact,” they explain.
“Hamnet rejects that premise, presenting Shakespeare not as a distant, untouchable genius but as a real man whose literary prowess was irrevocably impacted by his domestic life.”
The film’s Toronto win now puts it firmly in Academy Award territory, as the TIFF People’s Choice Award is widely deemed an Oscars bellwether.
Previous winners which have gone on to achieve Oscar nominations include Chariots of Fire, The Princess Bride and Slumdog Millionaire.
Hamnet is due to be released in cinemas on November 27.
