HAMNET [SECOND CHANCE]

A short excursion to the first non-fiction book “I am I am I am” by Maggie O’Farrell (2018) : On a summer day in 1596, Judith, a young girl from Stratford-upon-Avon, goes to bed with a bad flu. Her twin brother Hamnet searches everywhere in vain for help. Their mother, Agnes, is far outside the village busy with her medicinal plants. Their father works in London as a playwright. Both parents have no idea yet that one of their children will not survive the week. Hamnet is a gripping page-turner inspired by the son of William Shakespeare. It is the story of a son of a glove maker who, in pursuit of love, ignores his father's rules, the story of the woman he falls for, and their family. A story about courage, grief and love, about the unique bond between twins, and about a flea that ends up on a ship heading for Europe in Alexandria. But above all the unforgettable story of a boy whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written. VPRO Guide: The first non-fiction book by the amazing O’Farrell is just as crushing as her novels... Breathtakingly good. De Standaard: An extremely vivid autobiography. A hymn to life. Following the book "I am I am I am" is now (2026) the film “Hamnet”: After losing their son Hamnet to the plague, Agnes and William Shakespeare struggle with their grief in 16th-century England. Agnes, a healer, must find the strength to care for her remaining children while processing her devastating loss. De Filmblog – Nathalie: Let's get straight to the point: Hamnet is a film that makes you cry to shreds. And no, that is not a warning, that is a promise. Regisseur Chloé Zhao, who after her Oscar win for Nomadland (2020) took a trip to Marvel with the somewhat disappointing Eternals (2021), returns here to her roots. And what a return. This is Zhao at her best: empathetic, meditative, and with a camera that knows how to capture the soul of her characters.