20 Best Movies Of 2026 (So Far)

2. Hamnet

2026's most gruelling film - a claim it will surely still hold at year's end - Chloe Zhao's harrowing and beautiful exploration of grief through the lens of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) is an enrapturing but devastating affair. 

A fictional dive into the lives of the Shakespeare family after they suffer a shocking loss, which leads William to write his great masterpiece Hamlet, Hamnet creates a gorgeous world as vivid as any of the Bard's plays, and quietly dismantles it with unshakable tragedy. 

Lyrical and heartbreaking, Hamnet soars with its portrayal of grief and art as medicine, but mostly with its central performances. Mescal is a wonder as a wounded father and husband driven to isolation by loss, whilst Buckley is a towering revelation as a mother grieving her family whilst trying to make sense of her life. 

This is another film you probably won't want to seek out again, but it is one begging to be experienced all the same.