Actress and two-time Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley received a standing ovation at the Arlington Theatre on Wednesday following a free screening of “Hamnet” at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).
Buckley then joined SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling for a Q&A about her artistic process and the film’s climactic ending.
Directed by Chloé Zhao and co-written by Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet follows Agnes (Buckley) and William Shakespeare as they navigate devastating grief after the plague death of their son in 16th‑century England. Rather than focus on the legend of Shakespeare, the film centers the family’s emotional world and offers a backstory to Hamlet. The cast includes Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, and Joe Alwyn.
Buckley said she and Zhao embraced the script’s ambiguity, particularly in shaping the ending, which was filmed at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. She described feeling overwhelmed and lost, adding that the conclusion ultimately became about “surrendering to humanity.”
“It’s very uncomfortable as an actor to feel lost, you go home at night and think you’re terrible,” she told the audience.
Hamnet has earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Buckley. For her performance, Buckley has also received BAFTA and SAG nominations, and won both a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award.
While Buckley grounds Agnes with a deeply felt performance, Mescal offers a quieter, more introspective Shakespeare; together they create a convincing portrait of a marriage shaped by warmth, friction, and the day-to-day labor of parenting in uncertain times.
Jacobi Jupe leaves a strong impression as young Hamnet. Zhao allows the film to breathe at an unforced pace against the English countryside, forging the gradual arc of healing with natural elements of joy and fear.
SBIFF is also presenting a retrospective honoring Buckley’s work. “Wild Rose” and “The Lost Daughter” will screen on Saturday, February 14. Buckley first broke out in “Wild Rose” and later earned her first Oscar nomination for “The Lost Daughter.” Her acclaimed body of work also includes “Women Talking,” “Fargo,” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.”
The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival takes place from February 4-14, 2026. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels and celebrity tributes are held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre and the new McHurley Film Center. Passes for the 2026 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.
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