One Shot: The story behind ‘Hamnet’s’ defining image

Out of unbearable loss emerges “Hamlet,” Shakespeare’s (Paul Mescal) passage toward healing after the death of his son. His relationship with wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley), experiencing their grief differently, nearly comes undone — until a climactic performance of the play at the Globe Theatre. “When she arrives, you can feel she doesn’t like these people. She’s judging, she’s observing and treating this as a place of strangers,” says cinematographer Łukasz Żal of “Hamnet,” who spoke with director Chloé Zhao about the differences in masculinity and femininity to inform the fragile marriage. “She’s lost her love, her faith and trust in him. She’s full of grief and totally negative to what is happening. Then, as the play progresses, she finds this connection with the people, and it was crucial to show she was going through this collectively.” Żal reveals Agnes’ catharsis through her perspective from multiple angles, immersing the audience in her renewed love. “Her close-up at the end, we can see the whole world reflecting in her eyes and see all these emotions,” says the cinematographer. “It’s the moment when she understands what he was doing for her this whole time, and it’s so beautiful because they really start to understand each other and see each other again.”