Chloé Zhao's latest film "Hamnet" is a deeply personal and spiritual excavation of the human experience. The director and co-writer spent years traversing America for her first three features before winning an Oscar for "Nomadland" in 2020, but this time around, she brought a newfound vulnerability to the screen.
Zhao's approach to filmmaking is unlike anything she's done before - it's almost like she's channeling feminine power. "We're experiencing our tools to bring us to the present moment, moment by moment," she explains in an interview. This process feels less like traditional narrative filmmaking and more like a spiritual journey.
For years, Zhao kept her maternal side and deeply feminine energy hidden from her work, but this time around, she needed to confront those parts of herself. She had spent 10 years traveling across America, gathering experiences that would help her create the kind of story that could examine humanity's nature on her own terms.
Working with a talented cast, including Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, Zhao created a safe space for audiences to feel together, to watch each other experience grief and transformation. The film's emotional centerpiece required a delicate balance of preparation and surrender - but when it came together in the scream that Buckley delivered as her character confronts unimaginable loss.
Nature played a significant role in "Hamnet," with Zhao considering earth as one of her HODs (head of department). A void in an ancient forest inspired the film's central metaphor - connecting the Globe Theatre stage to something primal and eternal. The film also explores themes of grief, love, death, and transformation.
Zhao is clear that she didn't have a traditional path to filmmaking - it wasn't until her first three films changed her life that she began to find her voice as a director. "Happy Together" by Wong Kar-wai and the works of Werner Herzog are two directors whose work influenced her, but ultimately, she found her own voice through experimenting with different tools.
After the success of "Eternals," which some saw as a difficult period for Zhao, she took four years to cool down and focus on creating something new. She wanted to excavate the material that had been bubbling inside her since then - the idea was to create a massive chunk of material and sculpt it into a film that would represent humanity.
Zhao hopes audiences take away from "Hamnet" beyond the obvious emotional response - she wants them to see the transformative power of grief, love, death, and metamorphosis. She believes we are designed to have the capacity for transformation at any time in our lives, and when faced with tragedy, we don't need a narrative to tell us that something's wrong; we can look at it like winter coming to an end, fall arriving before winter, where the more we sustain the discomfort of winter, the more beautiful the summer will be in its place.
"Hamnet" is not a reboot but rather a sequel that brings back OG characters and bridges two generations. The show aims to bring together old fans and new ones, creating a sense of community and shared experience.
Chloé Zhao has been open about her passion for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which inspired her to take on the project - she was at Mount Holyoke, where she and her friends would gather weekly to watch episodes, sharing emotions and rituals around the show's finale.
"Variety's 'Awards Circuit' podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley, and Michael Schneider," is your one-stop source for lively conversations about film and television.
Zhao's approach to filmmaking is unlike anything she's done before - it's almost like she's channeling feminine power. "We're experiencing our tools to bring us to the present moment, moment by moment," she explains in an interview. This process feels less like traditional narrative filmmaking and more like a spiritual journey.
For years, Zhao kept her maternal side and deeply feminine energy hidden from her work, but this time around, she needed to confront those parts of herself. She had spent 10 years traveling across America, gathering experiences that would help her create the kind of story that could examine humanity's nature on her own terms.
Working with a talented cast, including Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, Zhao created a safe space for audiences to feel together, to watch each other experience grief and transformation. The film's emotional centerpiece required a delicate balance of preparation and surrender - but when it came together in the scream that Buckley delivered as her character confronts unimaginable loss.
Nature played a significant role in "Hamnet," with Zhao considering earth as one of her HODs (head of department). A void in an ancient forest inspired the film's central metaphor - connecting the Globe Theatre stage to something primal and eternal. The film also explores themes of grief, love, death, and transformation.
Zhao is clear that she didn't have a traditional path to filmmaking - it wasn't until her first three films changed her life that she began to find her voice as a director. "Happy Together" by Wong Kar-wai and the works of Werner Herzog are two directors whose work influenced her, but ultimately, she found her own voice through experimenting with different tools.
After the success of "Eternals," which some saw as a difficult period for Zhao, she took four years to cool down and focus on creating something new. She wanted to excavate the material that had been bubbling inside her since then - the idea was to create a massive chunk of material and sculpt it into a film that would represent humanity.
Zhao hopes audiences take away from "Hamnet" beyond the obvious emotional response - she wants them to see the transformative power of grief, love, death, and metamorphosis. She believes we are designed to have the capacity for transformation at any time in our lives, and when faced with tragedy, we don't need a narrative to tell us that something's wrong; we can look at it like winter coming to an end, fall arriving before winter, where the more we sustain the discomfort of winter, the more beautiful the summer will be in its place.
"Hamnet" is not a reboot but rather a sequel that brings back OG characters and bridges two generations. The show aims to bring together old fans and new ones, creating a sense of community and shared experience.
Chloé Zhao has been open about her passion for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which inspired her to take on the project - she was at Mount Holyoke, where she and her friends would gather weekly to watch episodes, sharing emotions and rituals around the show's finale.
"Variety's 'Awards Circuit' podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley, and Michael Schneider," is your one-stop source for lively conversations about film and television.
idk if thats a good thing or bad but it def makes the film so unique & vulnerable like she was tryna tap into her own emotions & experiences while making it. her cast is super talented btw especially paul mesecal & jessie buckley 
they created this safe space for us 2 feel emotional together & stuff. i love how nature plays a big role in the film too 
its like she wanted to connect w/ earth & make it relatable 2 humans. anyways i def wanna watch "hamnet" now 
i mean we've seen her travel all over america, but now she's bringing that vulnerability to the screen it's so beautiful 
paul mescal and jessie buckley are perfection, they bring this safe space for us to feel our emotions together 
and let's talk about nature - it's like she's channeling the earth itself 
paul mescal and jessie buckley are perfection together they're like two souls in flesh 
and can we talk about how nature plays a role in this film? i mean, the ancient forest and the globe theatre stage coming together is like a metaphor for life itself 
chloe's approach to filmmaking feels so different from anything else out there and i am HERE. FOR. IT 
. I love how she's been open about her personal struggles and how they've influenced the film - it's so refreshing to see someone be vulnerable on screen. The way she weaves together grief, love, death, and transformation is like a beautiful tapestry 
. And can we talk about the cast?! Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley are like two peas in a pod 
. It's like she's channeling this feminine energy that's all about embracing our vulnerability and finding the beauty in the darkness 
. Anyway, I'm gonna go watch it again... for the 5th time 
She's really tapping into that feminine power and vulnerability, and it's so needed in the film industry 
Her approach to filmmaking is super unique and spiritual, like she's channeling nature itself 
And that scream by Jessie Buckley? 
Chills all over! 
The way she's using her own experiences and inspirations from "Buffy" is so cool 
Can't wait to see how the audience responds to this film 
btw, paul mescal and jessie buckley are literally the perfect cast for this film 
. like, i'm not buying the whole "feminine power" thing – it just sounds like marketing speak to me 
. what i do think is interesting is how they're trying to create some sense of community around the film, but let's be real, that's just a fancy way of saying they want you to feel all the feels and share your emotional experience with others 
. i'll believe it when i see it 
chloé zhao's approach to filmmaking is like totally genius - she's all about channeling feminine power and being present in the moment 
. "Channeling feminine power" and "spiritual journey"... give me a break 
... I love how nature is woven into the story, it feels so organic 
... I'm excited to see this film bring people together across different generations 
. I'm also loving the idea of a sequel bringing back OG characters - it's like getting to revisit old friends & explore how their stories evolve over time 
- her vulnerability is what makes "Hamnet" so powerful