“Parting is such sweet sorrow.” This famed line from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is the essence of bittersweet within the context of a tragedy.
But there can be no parting of ways from a creative standpoint in a film version of another kind of Shakespearian tragedy–this one prominent in the current awards season conversation. Titled Hamnet (Focus Features), this film underscores that artists must come together–a prime example being the close-knit collaboration between director Chloé Zhao, ACE and editor Affonso Goncalves, ACE–in order to help realize the bittersweet dynamic within the profoundly tragic. Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same title, the film follows Shakespeare (portrayed by Paul Mescal) who is in the throes of writing, striving to succeed and making sense of his life. He falls in love with Agnes (Jessie Buckley). They wed but their family is later devastated when their young son, Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), dies from the plague. The experience of love, loss and deep grief bears, however, a creative silver lining, inspiring Shakespeare to write “Hamlet,” a masterpiece reaffirming the transcendent healing power of theater.
The ambitious film has Zhao once again wearing several hats–just as she did for Nomadland, for which in 2021 she won Best Picture and Director Oscars while being nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Achievement in Film Editing. Zhao served as director, executive producer, co-writer (with O’Farrell) and editor on Hamnet. Yet while she edited Nomadland solo, for Hamnet Zhao teamed in the cutting room with Goncalves, perhaps best known for his longstanding collaborative relationship with director Todd Haynes spanning features (Carol, Wonderstruck, Dark Waters, May December and an ACE Eddie Award-nominated turn on the documentary The Velvet Underground) and television (the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce which also earned Goncalves an Eddie nod).
Hamnet marked Goncalves’ first time working with Zhao–and it’s a relationship he sought out once the chance of their coming together presented itself. Goncalves knew that Zhao would be hands-on involved in the editing process and he embraced the prospect of teaming with her. Goncalves is no stranger to such collaboration, noting that for The Velvet Underground, for example, he cut with editor Adam Kurnitz and at times with director Haynes. “We split that film in three and kept passing our third to one another,” recalled Goncalves who in some respects likens Haynes to Zhao in that they are both specific about actor performance and story while being honest and direct in conveying what they want–yet still remaining open to different ideas.
Goncalves related that Zhao likes to shoot the film, take a little time off and then work on the first edit. She completed the first pass on Hamnet by herself and asked Goncalves to then come in fresh, watch and then work on what she had done. Goncalves did just that. He viewed not only that first pass but all the footage so that he knew exactly what was at his disposal. He felt Zhao’s creative presence throughout–and welcomed it, marveling at her ability to pick the acting performance that is best for the story. There’s a “fluidity” to having the director with you, he observed, noting that even during those times when Zhao wasn’t physically present, her influence was felt. They talked every day about the cuts he sent to her.
And when they were in physical proximity, Goncalves would go at times to Zhao’s nearby working space and dovetail with artists such as composer Max Richter and sound designer/supervising sound editor Johnnie Burn. Watching Zhao collaborate with them and then being able to add his voice to that exchange contributed greatly to the overall edit. Being part of this family of artists trying to tell a story about what helped to shape Shakespeare as an artist was special, affirmed Goncalves.
Working side by side with Zhao–both literally (in the edit room together) and figuratively–was a “free and easy” process, continued Goncalves, adding that the back-and-forth sharing of ideas and possibilities was creatively stimulating and fulfilling. What helped, Goncalves observed, was he and Zhao being simpatico in terms of how they like to work, the films they love, and their instinctively knowing what Hamnet needed to be. Also to their profound advantage were the stellar acting performances they had to work with. “Jessie, Paul and the kids were phenomenal,” said Goncalves who credited Buckley and Mescal with “leading the way” for him as an editor. “Looking into their eyes, feeling and understanding their chemistry” made, he said, for “an incredible experience” in the editing room.
Goncalves’ career goes well beyond his collaborations with Zhao and Haynes. Goncalves has cut, for example, director Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, which won the Oscar for Best International Feature last year, as well as The Lost Daughter, which marked the feature directorial debut of Maggie Gyllenhaal and went on to earn three Academy Award nominations (including Buckley for Best Supporting Actress) in 2022. The editor’s filmography additionally includes three Sundance Film Festival winners over the years: director Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, the Debra Granik-directed Winter’s Bone, and Ira Sachs’ Forty Shades of Blue. Goncalves also cut director Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling, and this year’s release from writer-director Jim Jarmusch, Father Mother Sister Brother. Additionally, Goncalves won an ACE Eddie Award and garnered an Emmy nomination for a Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed episode of True Detective. And Goncalves’ work on writer-director Jonas Carpignano’s A Chiara received a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Editing.
Furthermore, Goncalves is looking to diversify more meaningfully into short-form fare if his schedule permits. He continues to be repped in the commercialmaking/branded content arena by Hank Corwin’s edit house Lost Planet and hopes that any experience he gains in short-form content can positively inform his work in feature films.
This is the sixth installment of SHOOT’s 16-part The Road To Oscar Series of feature stories. Shining a light on such disciplines as directing, cinematography, producing, editing, production design, visual effects and animation, this series will appear weekly all the way through to the Academy Awards gala ceremony. Nominations for the 98th Oscars will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Hollywood, Calif., televised live on ABC and streamed on Hulu.
