Every year, a few films deliver an experience so charged and so singular that they either drain viewers emotionally or leave them fired up with adrenaline. I left a/perture cinema after seeing “Hamnet” in stunned silence.

As I write this article on Jan. 15, Oscar nominations have yet to be released. However, I’m sure this film will be on the list. I would pick it to win in many categories. Directed by Chloé Zhao and based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name (O’Farrell co-wrote the screenplay with Zhao), the film follows Agnes and William Shakespeare (Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal) as they cope with the death of their young son, Hamnet Shakespeare. If that name seems a bit too similar to the title of a certain Shakespeare play, that’s because it is. How the creation of “Hamlet” and the child’s death intersect, I won’t reveal here. 

While Shakespeare seems the obvious choice for a protagonist, the film centers on his wife, Agnes. This choice reframes the narrative and makes its eventual exploration of William Shakespeare’s art all the more potent. Buckley is more than up to the task of carrying the film. I’ll get it out of the way: it’s the performance of the year by any actor, male or female. 

Agnes comes to life in Buckley’s hands and she plays every emotion — from joy to concern to devastation to peace — with utter sincerity and believability. Buckley appears to be actually reacting to the events around her while never breaking her character’s skin, which, to this reviewer at least, is the mark of a truly great performance. The rest of the cast are wonderful as well, particularly young Jacobi Jupe, whose performance as the little Hamnet makes a meal of a morsel.

The film delivers a message of hope and wonder in spite of suffering, rather than in its absence. I also found it a testament to the enduring value of William Shakespeare’s work. “Hamlet” isn’t my preferred Shakespeare play (though “The Lion King” is my favorite film of all time), but “Hamnet” made me re-examine my opinion entirely. I never thought that a play I “read” in high school could be used to such great effect, but Zhao makes “Hamlet” a meaningful emotional centerpiece.

Zhao disappeared for a while after winning the big Oscars for “Nomadland” and then dropping a bomb with “Eternals,” but if she keeps making films like this, I’m excited to have her around as a top director for years to come.

If you feel up to it, go see “Hamnet.” It’s well worth the journey.