Why Jessie Buckley Completely Deserved Her Surprise Golden Globe For Her Amazing Performance In ‘Hamnet’
Jessie Buckley won the Golden Globe for Best Female Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) for her role as Agnes in “Hamnet.” Her win came as a bit of a surprise, given that she was competing with big names such as Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts, but Buckley absolutely deserved the award. Her portrayal of loss, strength, and mysticism immediately draws the reader into her devastating tragedy and the aftermath.
About Jessie Buckley’s Performance in “Hamnet”
We all know William Shakespeare the writer, but “Hamnet” is about William Shakespeare the husband and father. Based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, “Hamnet” centers around Shakespeare’s wife, named Agnes in the film, who is a spiritual herbalist, and the film treats her skills and the magic surrounding them as completely legit. This gives the historical story a mystical twist, drawing the audience into the spiritual world.
The film portrays Agnes and Shakespeare as deeply in love. They have three children, which terrifies Agnes because she foresaw that she would have only two children when she died. In addition, when she has her twins, Hamnet and Judith, Judith appears to be stillborn at first before she miraculously starts breathing. As such, Agnes becomes extremely protective of Judith, thinking she is the one destined to die. Again, the movie never laughs at her beliefs or portrays her as foolish. We are meant to accept the mysticism as real.
When the plague strikes Judith, Buckley gives everything into her portrayal of Agnes’s desperation and devastation. The audience can feel how she knew that she would outlive her daughter ever since Judith was born, but knowing only prolonged her suffering. Then, when Hamnet ends up dying instead of Judith, Buckley gives the audience an unrestricted portrayal of a grieving mother. Audience members who recently lost loved ones might find themselves crying.
The Aftermath of Hamnet’s Death
“Hamnet” offers an unflinching look at the aftermath of losing a child, and Buckley continues to shine in the second half of the movie. The marriage between Agnes and Shakespeare begins to suffer as Shakespeare starts retreating into his writing in order to cope. Of course, the names Hamnet and Hamlet are almost identical, and as the movie tells us at the beginning, they were considered basically the same name in Shakespeare’s time. The audience knows the importance of the “Hamlet” play, but Buckley’s performance shows how much she and her family had to suffer for it to exist.
The key moment in Buckley’s performance is when Agnes goes to see a performance of “Hamlet,” full of anger at her husband using their dead son’s name in the play, but then, when she sees Shakespeare playing the ghost of Hamlet’s father, she finally sees the grief in his eyes. Through her silent reactions, the audience sees that she’s finally understanding how, yes, Shakespeare was as devastated by Hamnet’s death as she was.
Then, when Hamlet is dying at the end of the play, she sees her own son in Hamlet’s eyes. She actually breaks the fourth wall of the theater and reaches her hand out to comfort Hamlet, spiritually reaching out to the dead son she never got to comfort. The entire audience joins with her in a beautiful, heart-wrenching moment, all led by the actress’s stellar performance.
Jessie Buckley Absolutely Deserved the Golden Globe
When Buckley received the Golden Globe, she seemed surprised that she was picked over bigger names like Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts, but she deserved the award, hands down. When the Oscar nominees are announced on January 22, she merits a nomination for Best Actress. Anything less will be an injustice. Regardless, she will still have her well-deserved Golden Globe.
