23/01/2026
I have read Hamnet twice and even lucky enough yo have seen the play performed by The Royal Shakespeare Company in London so I was both excited and apprehensive to see the film version as hoped it lived up to the book.
As I am getting older, I seem to be getting more introverted and after a very busy week I needed a little alone time so went to the cinema on my own and I am so glad I did! I didn't just cry, I cried hard, the type with snot and sobbing!! It affected me deeply.
It's the most real portrayal of deep grief that I have ever seen on screen. This is so much more than a story of a mother losing her child, this is a story of complex grief and how different it looks for everyone. It is raw, messy and beautiful and I recommend it but if you go take tissues, lots of them, I ran out! There was only a couple of other women in there and at the end I apologised if I cried too loudly, then after when I had some space to reflect on both the film and how it affected me, I wish I hadn't apologised, we shouldn't have to apologise for our emotions.
I'm not sure if I was so affected because I am a bereavement counsellor, or because I am a mother or because I love the book so much, probably a messy combination of all three! I'm now left with more thoughts not just about how we all deal with grief but how we are with each other when things are painful? Do we come together or turn away?
(Pic of me is on the way into the cinema, you wouldn't want to see how I looked after!)
