The acting was definitely another highlight of this movie for me. The way that almost all actors expressed their emotions in response to the multitude of heart-twisting events that ensued was magnificent. From the mains to the supporting actors, all of them contributed to make this movie the emotional powerhouse that it was. However, I’d be remised if I didn’t take the time and energy to speak on Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal’s acting in specific.

Paul Mescal did a dynamite portraying Bill Shakespeare as a work-driven, yet very engaged father. This was highlighted first during a scene where he was up late at night, drunk and in dire straights that he believed that he had lost his ability to write. Due to the camera being in a fixed position, all of the focus was on him and boy did the man deliver. Throughout the rest of the film he was pretty much MIA, despite the fact that his only son had just passed away out of completely nowhere. Personally, I would like to have had a bit more focus his grieving journey, because his story post-loss of son to me felt a bit confusing at times.