Hamnet to On Falling: the seven best films to watch on TV this week
The gut-wrenching performance that won Jessie Buckley an Oscar. Plus, a powerful critique of the gig economy by debut director Laura Carreira
From a Roman muscle man to William Shakespeare, Paul Mescal is showing his range right now. But in Chloé Zhao’s version of Maggie O’Farrell superb novel, he has to play second fiddle to Jessie Buckley. It’s her Oscar-winning turn as Agnes – the Bard’s unsung wife – that gives the drama its gut-wrenching power. Agnes is the heart to Will’s brain, more attuned to the mysteries of the natural world, and aware that his genius will take him away from her. But their differing reactions to a family tragedy push them further apart … Hamnet is a difficult book to adapt, its potency coming from its unarticulated emotions, but Zhao has pulled it off brilliantly.
Friday 14 August, 8.10am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
