Credit: Netflix

The July arrival arc on Netflix screams bold in every language, and the credit should go where it’s due, extending beyond the streamer’s original catalogue of productions. Just in case you’re oblivious or still busy finishing off what’s left on pause, the Oscar-winning Jessie Buckley drama, Hamnet, has touched down on Netflix.

Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s historical fiction novel inspired by the life of the Shakespeare family, the eight-time Oscar-nominated drama hit Netflix shelves on July 6th.

Directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao and set in 1580s England, Hamnet, starring Buckley and Paul Mescal, imagines and dramatises the untold history of the famous play Hamlet through the unseen lives of prolific 16th-century English playwright and poet William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes. Essentially acting as an audio-visual time portal for viewers, the historical masterpiece opens with a young, struggling William who falls in love with Agnes, a headstrong, independent herbalist.

Hamnet follows Will as he places a foot on the stepping stones of his illustrious career, initially moving to London to build his playwrighting career and leaving their children under Agnes’ care at their countryside abode. But soon, the pair’s lives are turned upside down when their only son, Hamnet, unexpectedly succumbs to an illness.

The 2025 movie, which won Buckley an Academy Award for ‘Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama,’ focuses on the increasingly dissimilar, often clashing ways in which the couple processes this unimaginable grief. But beyond the surface level, Hamnet underscores the healing power of art through the becoming of Hamlet.

If you’re specifically looking for something powerful and emotionally resonant, Hamnet should be your next pick without a second thought. In addition to boasting an acclaimed creative team from behind and in front of the camera, and behind the literary source, the film was a massive awards-season contender that deserves your streaming attention.

Also, Hamnet is not available on Netflix for an unlimited tenure. The historical drama was added as part of the streamer’s licensing agreement with Universal/Focus Features, allowing the award-winning film a 10-month window of availability.

So, if you’re ready for something emotionally heavy and intense that sticks with you long after the credits roll, whether it’s today, tomorrow, later this week or month, make sure to give Hamnet a shot, while it’s still on Netflix.