The veil between worlds feels thin in Chloe Zhao’s *Hamnet*, a film recently reviewed by Lyonel Perabo for The Wild Hunt. This evocative story, rich with the spirit of the natural world, explores themes of grief, creation, and the potent magic woven into everyday life.

The film centers around Agnes Hathaway, a woman deeply connected to the land and its hidden wisdom, and her relationship with William Shakespeare. The review highlights the film’s particularly witchy atmosphere, suggesting that Agnes possesses a unique understanding of herbs, healing, and the unseen currents that flow through all things. Her connection to the earth is palpable, a reminder of the deep well of power available to those who listen to the whispers of the wild.

What makes this film particularly resonant for Pagans is its subtle but significant incorporation of the medieval Nine Herbs Charm. This ancient spell, a potent blend of herbalism and incantation, speaks to our ancestors’ deep reliance on the earth for healing and protection. Its inclusion in *Hamnet* elevates the film beyond a simple historical drama, transforming it into a meditation on the enduring power of folk magic and the sacred bond between humanity and nature. Perabo’s review suggests that Zhao’s film offers a profound and moving experience, inviting us to contemplate the mysteries of life, death, and the enduring strength of the human spirit, all through a lens steeped in the old ways.