Jessie Buckley won a Golden Globe Award for her powerful role as Agnes in the film Hamnet, an achievement that confirms her status as one of the best actors of her generation. The film has also collected other major awards, including Best Film and Best Director at international film festivals. These significant wins give us good reason to take a deeper look at this masterpiece. Below is a comprehensive review of the film that the whole world is talking about right now. And the Oscars are still to come!

In the stirring new adaptation by Chloé Zhao of Maggie O’Farrell’s book, Hamnet, the camera focuses on the life of the main character – William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal). The film reveals his soul through the hard twists of his life, and you see how his eternal art emerges from them.

This is not a biopic in the traditional sense. In a way, it is a story about two births: the physical birth of a son, under a mother’s care in the forests of Stratford, and the metaphysical birth of a play, under a father’s care in London. The tragedy of his life is that he is absent when his physical son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe) dies.

A Tale of Two Worlds

Director Chloé Zhao, renowned for her mastery regarding natural landscapes (Nomadland, for example), places the first act firmly in a rural area near Stratford-upon-Avon. Here, we meet Agnes (Jessie Buckley, who is fierce in the role), a woman of the woods, a healer and a wise woman who is more comfortable in the company of a falcon than among people. Agnes is the daughter of a wood witch. A young Latin tutor (Paul Mescal) pursues her and will not take no for an answer.

The transformative chemistry between Buckley and Mescal is a powerful force that drives the film forward relentlessly. Mescal plays the role of the playwright as a dedicated young man inspired to put pen to parchment. However, as the family and the demands on him grow, the distance between them also grows. He spends much of his time in London, while his wife is raising their family on her own. The film depicts this by cutting rapidly between the golden autumn light in Stratford and the claustrophobic, candlelit theaters in London.

It is a great pity that Shakespeare is rarely home while his son, Hamnet, is growing up. It is a cruel irony that Shakespeare is in London creating kings and jesters when his own son, Hamnet, is dying as a sacrifice to the bubonic plague sweeping the country.

Hamnet’s illness is filmed with frightening intimacy. We see how bad the Black Death is, as Hamnet suffers terribly. We also see his mother’s suffering, screaming in utter distress, without William there to help. She knows well that her herbs cannot save her son. When William finally returns to Stratford, it is too late and Hamnet has passed away.

The Alchemy of Grief

Jessie Buckley is wonderful as Agnes, expressing her emotions through her body. You don’t see William mourning his son’s death in the same way. Instead, he retreats to London, leaving his family behind once again, to write a play that bears a version of his dead son’s name.

To Agnes, and perhaps to the audience as well, this feels like a betrayal. The tension builds toward the film's great climax, a sequence that transforms Hamnet from a domestic drama into a first-class cinematic masterpiece.

The Grand Finale

Agnes travels to London for the first time then, trying to understand what Shakespeare intends with his play in her son’s name. She enters the theater. She stands in front of the stage and begins to watch the play. Watching the actor playing Hamlet (Jacobi Jupe’s brother), Agnes sees her lost son. And then, the Ghost appears on stage. In a stroke of directorial brilliance, William himself is the King’s Ghost. In the play, the father dies so that the son can live. Shakespeare has taken his son’s place, in a remarkable exchange.

The camera lingers on Agnes’s face as this realization dawns on her. Various emotions are seen expressed on her face, with anger gradually changing to a deep, heartbreaking understanding.

Technical Mastery

The handheld camera is often used. Natural sources are used whenever possible – fire, candlelight, and even the pale English sun. These cinematographic techniques create a closer bond between the camera and the audience.

The pacing is also masterful. Despite the solemn subject matter, there are no dull spots. The story has unceasing momentum, driven by the urgency of the plague in the first half and the mystery of the play in the second half. The twists and turns are handled with a deft touch that will surprise even those who are knowledgeable about Shakespeare's history.

Verdict

Hamnet is a film that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible to get the full immersive experience. It is a story about the cost of ambition and the healing power of art. It asks us to reflect on how best to achieve a work-life balance and how important it is to spend time at home with our families. It also shows us the power of art that is able to express the wide range of the human condition, both good and bad.

As for the Oscars, those two famous Irish stars – Mescal and Buckley – will likely be choices for Best Actor. And the film itself will likely be a strong contender for Best Picture. Everyone should take the time to see this film

Like everyone else born between 1995 and 2001, I attended the All Together Now music festival in Portlaw last week, based in County Waterford. This was my third year there; I think I enjoy the festival for the same reason as everyone else there. The size of the event is perfect: there’s space for 30,000 compared to 80,000 at Electric Picnic, but more than the 12,500 for Beyond the Pale in County Wicklow. The travel from Kilkenny is just a few minutes, and the most important reason: the schedule is always incredible. There’s a mix of big bands (Fontaines D.C., Primal Scream), seasoned artists who are new to the Irish audience (Hinds, English Teacher), and Irish bands that are just starting their careers with heartwarming performances (Skinner, Cardinals). This range of artists creates the best festival in Ireland - and the main reason for its success is that it puts Irishness at the core of its mission statement.

With Fontaines D.C. - the most in-demand music band on the island at this time, I would say - playing on the main stage on Friday night of the festival, the crowd was packed with people wanting to hear Grian Chattan and his men sing about politics in Ireland (‘I Love You’), independence and the media (‘A Hero’s Death’) and interpersonal ballads (‘Favourite’). As they also emerge as stars abroad, a comparison to Oasis came to mind on Friday. It’s an easy comparison, perhaps, but particularly with Oasis on the public's mind these days, especially given their presence on stage. There’s something masculine and mysterious about Fontaines; they say nothing to the audience except to shout ‘Freedom for Palestine’ once or twice. They are so focused on the atmosphere they are creating that they have no time to build a connection with the thousands of people dancing in front of them. Like Oasis and their connection to Manchester, Fontaines have a significant link to place in their music - Dublin is the main character of their debut album, Dogrel. And since Oasis was the biggest music band in the West in the 90s, it is a good omen for Fontaines D.C. to receive this comparison.

The fresh talent didn’t stop there, of course. On Saturday night, CMAT took to the stage with her “very sexy CMAT band”, in her own words. Similarly to Fontaines, Ciara Mary Alice Thompson’s quality is rising in Britain fast these days, following her performance at Glastonbury in June of this year. Unlike Fontaines, however, CMAT would lure the bird from the branch. Dancing, chatting with us, giving us sweet tunes to sing along with her, the audience was in the palm of her hand from the first song. In my opinion, there is no artist quite like CMAT currently creating music, either in Ireland or abroad. Whatever you need, it’s in Ciara Mary's catalogue. Need something upbeat? Try ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy Baby’. A singer of contemporary life in Ireland? ‘Euro-Country’ or ‘Where Are Your Kids Tonight’ will do the job. Have you just ended a relationship and need songs that will break your heart? ‘Stay For Something’ and ‘Such a Miranda’ will sort you out. And while making comparisons (though these two are so unique, and that most comparisons between female artists have no sense of femininity, remind you that they are my all-time favorite musicians), Sinéad O’Connor comes to my mind. Both have beautiful voices, and although there will be no one like her again, O’Connor's politics and absence of her shadow were evident on stage as CMAT sang.

With Palestinian flags everywhere, CMAT took time to focus on the oppressed people in our society and abroad. She said she was selling t-shirts to raise money for TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland), but when we went to buy one after the concert, they were sold out four times over. Like O’Connor before her, CMAT made sure we would be on the right side of the world’s historical change.

Before the weekend came to an end, a wide range of artists appeared, and the schedule was packed with many Irish bands gaining strength. Muireann Bradley, Negro Impacto, Morgana; while the soundtracks of our hero music nights were great, our days were far sweeter due to those musicians. On Sunday afternoon, Villagers came out to soothe our minds. I think Villagers - the stage name of Conor O’Brien - is one of the best songwriters in Ireland. Although he doesn’t have the same genre range as CMAT, he has complete mastery of his craft, creating soothing guitar music, full of emotion, with intertwined stories in his voice. Villagers were not on the schedule until a few days before the festival began, but their presence improved the weekend significantly. With ‘The First Day’ flying around in my head as all the equipment was packed, I was able to keep going, driving down the M9, looking forward to next year.

Song of the week: ‘Hot Scary Summer’ by Villagers.

When my wife saw that Elton John was going to be on stage in San Diego a few days later, I thought there wouldn’t be any tickets left. But for the fun of it, I searched ‘Ticketmaster’ and was surprised to find that there were still tickets available. I immediately bought a couple.

This was a rare opportunity, as Elton had retired from touring a few years ago. In this case, he made an exception because it was a fundraising event for a good cause. Elton donated the proceeds from his concert to ‘Curebound’, a local non-profit organization that provides funding for cancer research. Elton himself survived prostate cancer in 2017. He almost died from a rare complication (a type of virus) that occurred after he had surgery. At that time, he realized what was important in his life, and decided to spend more time with his family and less time touring.

Memories

Elton's songs were my soundtrack in my early teens. I remember dancing at discos with 'Rocket Man', 'Crocodile Rock', or 'Daniel' being played loudly. I don't have many memories of that time, but that was one of them. Almost every one of Elton's songs went to the top of the charts in the seventies. Elton was a great composer but he couldn't write lyrics. His friend, Bernie Taupin, was a great lyricist but he couldn't compose music. Liberty Records brought them together when they gave Elton a folder of Taupin's lyrics. Elton composed the music for them, and Bernie and Elton began a really famous partnership. They have collaborated on almost every song since their initial one in 1967. Until recently, Bernie would send lyrics to Elton, and then Elton would compose the music – without them meeting! In recent years, they have met more often to write songs together.

The Run-up

The spotlight was on the organization Curebound when its CEO, Anne Marbarger, took the stage.

“Now – more than ever, we need to support our scientists,” said Anne. She is right, given the recent severe cuts to the National Cancer Institute. “With our support, a cure for cancer will come from San Diego.”

Since its founding in 2021, Curebound has raised nearly $150 million to award funding to 6 research institutes trying to find cancer cures. Curebound received $11.5 million from this concert alone – Elton is a great philanthropist!

Elton then arrived on stage, wearing a yellow suit, the color that signifies cancer awareness. After a spirited opening with ‘Funeral for a Friend/Love lies Bleeding’, Elton had a few words to say: “It’s great to be here to celebrate this incredible organization. It’s not often that I go to places where there are so many people who have experienced cancer, including myself. Let’s enjoy it (the night) to the fullest!

The Concert

Elton and his band were absolutely fantastic, although there were a few minor problems with the sound mix. After ‘Funeral for a Friend’, they continued with a set of classics: ‘Bennie and The Jets,’ ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues,’ ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ and ‘Tiny Dancer.’ And then with another great set: ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,’ ‘Rocket Man,’ ‘Levon,’ ‘Candle in the Wind’ and ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word To Say.’

During the concert, Elton sang and played at a superb level – with energy and passion. He played special keyboard solos on ‘Benny and The Jets,’ ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Levon’. He played a variety of styles – including boogie-woogie, gospel, jazz and blues – in an inspiring and exciting combination.

For the last song, Elton sang ‘Your Song’, and then there was a fireworks display that no one expected. It was a fitting end to a great concert.

The last line of the last song stayed with me: ‘How wonderful life is when you’re in this world!’ It says everything about this noble cause in one short line!

This young man arrives on the scene unexpectedly and we know nothing about him. Most of us still don’t know this man’s real name, after decades in the spotlight. But say his stage name – ‘Bob Dylan’ – and almost everyone will know about this star. He expressed how a new generation that grew up in the sixties in America after World War II felt in the midst of a society that was very unstable and changing rapidly. It was a generation that was looking for a place, looking for equal rights, and was not happy to be dragged into a meaningless war in Vietnam. With his music, Dylan succeeds in expressing the mood of his generation and even the mood of the country at a crucial time in American history.

If I had to pick a pivotal moment in the sixties when one generation passed the torch to the next, it would be the 1965 Newport, Rhode Island Country Music Festival, when Dylan plugged in his electric guitar.

‘A Complete Unknown’ is a great period film that provides the background and history of this eventful concert. The film begins in early 1961, with Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) at the age of 19 visiting his hero, Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who is incapacitated with Huntington’s disease. Guthrie was the voice of his own generation, the generation immediately before Dylan’s. He points his finger at Dylan’s guitar, and Dylan plays a song he wrote in tribute called ‘Song to Woody’. We can tell by the look on his face that Woody recognizes Dylan as his likely successor. At the end of the song, Woody bangs his fist on the bedside table.

Dylan hardly acknowledges the other person in the room, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton). Seeger seems to realize that he is witnessing the beginning of a new era, the era of Dylan.

As soon as he first sees Dylan, the famous promoter Albert Grossman (Dan Fogler) moves in as his manager. As soon as Joan Baez hears him play, she immediately realizes that she is looking at her rival. She is a great talent of the era herself, with a clear voice and an almost unlimited range. She will soon appear on the cover of Time magazine. But even more than Baez, it is Dylan who attracts the audience, with his unusual yet magnetic personality.

Dylan has only failure after failure in matters of love, perhaps because he is mostly in love with his music. He has a relationship with painter Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), a fictionalized version of his long-term girlfriend Suze Rotolo, and later with Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro).

Dylan is a reclusive person, and rarely acknowledges other musicians. For example, although Seeger is always working for him, Dylan clearly does not respect Seeger as a musician. One exception is bluesman Jesse Moffet (Big Bill Morganfield), the son of Muddy Waters himself (who was a famous blues musician in his own time). When Dylan is late for a live performance on television, Moffet fills in for him. However, Dylan arrives late and starts talking to Moffet, who then starts playing his guitar. Dylan is impressed by what Moffet is doing, studying him carefully the whole time.

When Dylan arrives in Newport in 1965, the whole world is watching and waiting for an iconic and distinctive performance from the master. But when he turns up the volume on his electric guitar and plays ‘Maggie’s Farm’, half the crowd boos. Seeger is furious and tries to turn off the power, but to no avail. After the third song, Dylan leaves the stage. Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook),who is seen in other scenes singing his own anthems, hands him his acoustic guitar. Dylan returns to the stage and plays ‘It’s all over now, Baby Blue!’

You don’t know much more about Bob Zimmerman at the end of the film than you did at the beginning. Maybe that’s the point – pioneers like him are elusive. On the one hand, we see and hear the fruits of his labor and how great they are. On the other hand, we see a person just like everyone else in their private life. The contrast between these aspects, which is clearly outlined in the film, is clear and interesting.

As Dylan himself tells Sylvie: “People ask where the songs come from, but when you look at their faces, that’s not what they’re asking. They’re trying to understand why they didn’t write them themselves.” While we can witness exceptional creativity, we don’t have the capacity to fully understand the magic of it. The final scene is fitting – Dylan revving his motorcycle and riding off down the road, as darkness falls on the screen. For the last time, the main character escapes from us.

Director and co-writer of the script, James Mangold, has a strong portfolio. His films include ‘Girl, Interrupted’ (1999), ‘Walk the Line’ (2005), which he also co-wrote, ‘3:10 to Yuma’ (2007), ‘The Wolverine’ (2013), and ‘Logan’ (2017). Mangold did a great job creating a fresh perspective on Dylan, based on Elijah Wald’s book ‘Dylan Goes Electric!’

The actors were amazing and very convincing in their roles – especially Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro. Both of them spent a long time learning and practicing their roles as Dylan and Baez, in every aspect of their lives. Even viewers who knew nothing about Dylan or Baez beforehand, will come out of the theater a fan of the singers. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this film on the big screen!

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C.E.A.R.T.A 
Is cuma liom sa foc faoi aon gharda, 
Duidín lásta, tá mise ró-ghasta, 
Ní fheicfidh tú mise i mo sheasamh ró-fhada

That's a rap verse sung by a hip-hop band from West Belfast called Kneecap. If you watch the movie with the same title you will hear them singing the song. If you are an Irish speaker, you have no choice but to watch this film. It is an important and blunt film, with a crazy atmosphere and non-stop action.

The film gives us a heartwarming look at the generation from West Belfast known as "The Ceasefire Babies" who were born after the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although there has been no war in Northern Ireland since then, it seems that the remains of that horror can still be felt long after in various ways. You see those remnants clearly in the film as the band members and their compatriots still deal with issues of cultural equality. Although the war is long over, the struggle continues in a more peaceful way, including in the form of rap music in Irish.

It was a bold choice for the members of Kneecap to play themselves in the film. It’s no harm also having a few famous actors in the film - including Michael Fassbender.

The material for the film came while a national movement was taking place in the North of Ireland to preserve Irish and to obtain official status for it. Finally, an important act was passed in Westminster in 2022 - 'The Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Act 2022' - which gave official status to the language for the first time. It is only the first step towards cultural equality for those who have Irish as part of their culture in the North of Ireland. You see the struggle right before the Act through the lens of the band and their music.

The Main Plot

Liam and Naoise are drug dealers in West Belfast. Naoise's father (Fassbender) is a tough republican, who told them that every word of Irish spoken is a bullet on behalf of the freedom of Ireland. They learned that lesson, and now they use the language as a fighting tool against the authorities. When Liam is being questioned by the 'peelers' (police), he only speaks Irish. The police employ a music teacher named JJ Ó Dochartaigh as a translator. When JJ reads what Liam has written in his notebook, he immediately realizes that Liam has a lot of promise. That's how, by accident, the band starts. Liam and Naoise have written a song called 'C.E.A.R.T.A.', and JJ helps them record in a makeshift studio he has in his garage. They give themselves stage names, Mógálí Bap (Naoise), Mo Chara (Liam) and DJ Próvaí (JJ), they call the band Kneecap, and they start doing gigs. Small gigs at first in pubs full of owl lads drinking Guinness who don't know what the hell is going on. But after a while, the popularity of Kneecap increases. Naoise, Liam and JJ are snorting and doing all kinds of drugs and are always on the verge of going out of control, in line with their public image, as cultural rebels and outspoken spokesmen for their generation in the North.

Subplots

There are a few other stories that are quite complex and interwoven with the main story.

Naoise's father, Arlo, has been on the run for the past 10 years. He was a member of a paramilitary group and faked his own death to escape the authorities. It is difficult for Naoise and his mother to carry on in Arlo's absence. But he is secretly in touch with Naoise. Arlo plays an important role at the end, which I will not reveal here.

Due to their obscene anti-British lyrics, Kneecap becomes controversial with the police, and in particular with Detective Ellis. She is not happy to learn that Liam is in a relationship with her niece Georgia, who is a Protestant. A few strange things then happen with Ellis and Georgia, but I won't tell more here.

And then there is the pressure group called 'Radical Republicans Against Drugs'. They want to stop the backstreet drug dealing that is going on, so they come into conflict with Liam and Naoise. Again, I won't reveal the details here.

Conclusion

The film fictionalizes the history of Kneecap. I love the central concept, which is the members of the band trying to preserve and expand their cultural rights through the use of Irish - a central part of their culture. Not only that, but they use a genre of music that suits their endeavors – hip-hop. Hip-hop artists have a long history of using the medium to express social issues – N.W.A, Public Enemy, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino to name but a few. So, it's no surprise that the members of Kneecap live an extravagant lifestyle – goes with the job for such pop stars.

The band takes a fresh approach, a pioneering approach to promote the rights of the minority Irish language, and this shows that the language is alive, vibrant and important, especially in the North at the moment. Irish is part of their history and identity, regardless of their religion. As long as young people like Liam, Naoise and JJ are using the language in modern ways and preserving it, it is a cause of hope for us all. And in the South - where Irish has been the main official language of the country for a long time - we have to ask ourselves - can we do more to promote the Irish language here?

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