Now streaming and on DVD: Jessie Buckley proves why she’s the year’s best in ‘Hamnet’

They meet in an interesting way, and then he heads off to London, where his career is taking off.

Paul Mescal plays Will (the man who would be Shakespeare), and he’s remarkable, too.

But Agnes (Buckley) has to keep the fires burning at home, and there she has to deal with the house, the children and a community that doesn’t understand the relationship she enjoys.

When a daughter is struck by what some think is the plague, the need becomes even more apparent. In the mix is a son named Hamnet (which is interchangeable with “Hamlet”), who is tight with his sister.

Grief becomes a guiding force in the family members’ lives and a reason for Will and Agnes to split. Both convey their sorrow quite openly, giving “Hamnet” an intimacy that few films achieve. Director Chloe Zhao knows how to lean into the conversations, quarrels and triumphs and find the relatable moments that even those who never achieve notoriety can recognize.

When Will writes a play called “Hamlet,” there’s plenty to consider (and attach). Agnes thinks he’s preying on their son’s name and attends the play. How she relates to it — and heals from it — is part of the magic of Jessie Buckley. She’s so intriguing — first as what some see as a witch, then as a wife who feels she has no control over her family — that you’ll wonder where she landed after the film.

“Hamlet” may be Shakespeare’s greatest work; “Hamnet” explains how it could have been so divinely inspired.

Buckley and Mescal are impeccable, but Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn are memorable, too. Even Jacobi Jupe, as Hamnet, stakes a claim to the audience’s emotions. When his lookalike real-life brother turns up as Hamlet in the play, the film becomes a window into a world most never know.

One of the best films of the year (if not THE best film), “Hamnet” says there’s plenty of life in classics. Sometimes, you just need to dig for it.