INDIA, Nov. 26 -- The life of William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is often discussed in terms of his plays and sonnets rather than his family. However, the tragedy at the centre of Hamnet raises a few compelling questions. Did the death of a young boy truly influence one of the greatest plays in English literature? Is the movie Hamnet an accurate retelling based on a true story, or a work shaped by imaginative storytelling?

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Chloe Zhao, the period drama focuses on the death of William (played by Paul Mescal) and Agnes' (played by Jessie Buckley) young son, Hamnet (played by Jacobi Jupe), and how the tragedy contributed to the development of the classic play Hamlet.

The supporting cast in...