HAMNET

Featuring a pre-screening conversation with Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine/Vulture and David Rooney of the Hollywood Reporter

Oscar buzz abounds for this intense drama, writer-director Chloe Zhao’s return to form after a detour into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “The Eternals.” Adapted from the 2020 novel, “Hamnet” stars Jessie Buckey and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare, who face the tragic loss of their son (the Hamnet of the title) in 1580s England – a family trauma that ultimately inspires the Bard to write “Hamlet.” Zhao, whose previous “Nomadland” won Academy Awards for best picture and best director, guides her cast through a visceral exploration of grief, marriage and transcendence.