Chloé Zhao Responds To Hamnet Being Called The Greatest Movie Of All Time

Chloé Zhao Addresses That Viral Hamnet Poster Declaring It The Greatest Film Of All Time Jessie Buckley and a crowd looking up in awe in Hamnet©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection By  Matthew Rudoy  &  Liam Crowley Published 35 minutes ago Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Hamnet director Chloé Zhao responds to the viral poster claiming that the movie is the greatest of all time. Based on Maggie O'Farrell's 2020 novel, Hamnet's story explores a fictionalized version of William Shakespeare's life. It specifically focuses on the death of William and Agnes' son, Hamnet, and how this tragedy contributed to the development of the Hamlet play.

After screenings at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals, Hamnet's reviews have been stellar, with many critics claiming that it is the best movie of 2025. The poster that went viral takes this praise a step further by hailing it as the best movie of all time.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley for Hamnet, Zhao admits that this kind of praise is bestowed on many movies. Nevertheless, she is thrilled to have elicited such a strong and positive reaction from viewers so far, and explains the invaluable impact of such genuine emotion. Check out Zhao's comments below:

Well, I see that sentiment said a lot about films. [Laughs] But it’s amazing! To have that reaction from people? We’re in the business of helping people feel things. Once they feel something, however they express it — someone can write a lot of notes, they can literally not react at all and never talk about it again, or someone can say it’s the best film ever made — that’s their own expression of what they felt. So, I’ll take it!

While calling Hamnet the best movie of all time is obviously subjective, the film is one of the front-runners for Best Picture at the Oscars. It is a deeply competitive year, with other potential nominees including One Battle After Another, Sinners, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, Frankenstein, and Wicked: For Good. Despite the competition, Hamnet is considered a favorite to win the coveted award.

In addition to Best Picture, Hamnet is expected to receive nominations in some of the Oscars' other categories as well. Jessie Buckley, who plays Shakespeare's wife, Agnes, is widely expected to win Best Actress at the Oscars this year. Paul Mescal, who plays William Shakespeare in the film, will likely be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

As for Zhao, there is a high chance of her receiving a Best Director nomination. With other likely nominees including Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, Ryan Coogler for Sinners, and Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, this is also quite a competitive category, but one where Zhao could definitely win. She previously won Best Director in 2021 for Nomadland and the Frances McDormand-led film also won Best Picture that year.

Despite coming to theaters during a holiday season that features long-awaited blockbusters like Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, and Avatar: Fire and Ash, there is an impressive level of anticipation surrounding Hamnet. This bodes well for the film's chances to resonate with general audiences as strongly as it has with critics, along with doing well at the box office.

Hamnet's limited theatrical release begins on November 26, followed by a wide theatrical release on December 12.

10/10

Hamnet

Like Follow Followed Drama History Release Date November 27, 2025 Director Chloé Zhao Writers Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell Producers Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Sam Mendes, Steven Spielberg, Nicolas Gonda

Cast

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• Jessie Buckley Agnes Shakespeare
• Paul Mescal William Shakespeare

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