Max Richter’s ‘Hamnet’ soundtrack leaves fans in tears after Jessie Buckley scene

12 January 2026, 15:50 | Updated: 13 January 2026, 14:45

Max Richter returns to the big screen to pull at your heartstrings with another tear-jerking score. But why does the music in Hamnet sound so familiar? (Spoilers ahead)

Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao is back with historical drama Hamnet, based on the book of the same name.

Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, Hamnet follows the love story of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Anne ‘Agnes’ Hathaway (Jessie Buckley) and the family tragedy that inspired the iconic play Hamlet.

The movie chronicles the events of Shakespeare and Hathaway’s first encounter to the birth of their children. But when their son Hamnet dies of bubonic plague, the couple begin to fall apart. Agnes struggles to forgive William for not being present at their son’s deathbed, until she visits the premiere of Hamlet and understands that his plays are William’s way of processing his son’s death.

The movie opens with a title card explaining that the names Hamnet and Hamlet are interchangeable.

But many keen-eared movie fans have spotted the inclusion of a familiar piece of music in the film’s most emotional scene...

Read more: What’s that tear-jerking string music in The Last of Us?

Watch the trailer for Hamnet

What’s the piece of music at the climax of Hamnet?

The climax of the film centres around a performance of Hamlet at the Globe Theatre, where Agnes watches her husband perform. In this gut-wrenching moment, we are treated to a popular piece of contemporary classical music from Max Richter.

A piece that is a staple of many tender moments in films, Max Richter’s deeply atmospheric ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ (2004).

This moving piece comes from the composer’s second album The Blue Notebooks. Richter has stated that it was written to protest against the Iraq war, which was at the early stages of conflict at the time of composition. It was an attempt to create “luminous material out of the darkest materials”.

The album was both a critical and commercial success, with ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ peaking at number eight in the UK singles charts. The dramatic clash of dense chords with a light violin line makes it an ideal fit for moments of grief on film.

Max Richter - On The Nature Of Daylight (Entropy) | 2018 Version

However, it wasn’t always the intention to use this piece in Hamnet. In fact, Richter composed an entirely new soundtrack for the movie, including music for the emotional ending.

The decision to include ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ came from the movie’s star Jessie Buckley, who won the Golden Globe for Best Actress. Richter says that ‘they played it on set for ten hours a day’ and Buckley found used the music to inform many of her creative decisions. She said it became part of her vision of the film’s pivotal climax.

Initially, Richter was confused as to why they didn’t use the new composition he had written for the scene, but after seeing the final product he was deeply moved.

What has been the response to Richter’s music?

Since the release of Hamnet, ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ has now become a trending sound on TikTok as people post their reactions to the emotional scene.

Clearly, the inclusion of the music has worked in emphasising the dramatic emotional ending. Hamnet is collecting accolades from major awards bodies, including Best Picture at the 2026 Golden Globes.

Whilst Richter was nominated for best score, he missed out to Ludwig Göransson’s soundtrack to Sinners.

Max Richter - On The Nature Of Daylight (Official Video)

What films and TV shows does ‘On the Nature of Daylight’ feature in?

‘On the Nature of Daylight’ has been used in multiple instances to enhance emotional moments in film and TV.

Most recently, it was used in the first series of HBO’s The Last of Us, in the critically praised episode that followed a post-apocalyptic LGBTQ+ romance story.

The Handmaid’s Tale got multiple uses out of the song – once in a music video starring the lead actress Elizabeth Moss, and in the closing moments of series four.

Arguably, the most famous uses of the score were in Martin Scorsese’s surreal thriller, Shutter Island and in Denis Villenueve’s Sci-Fi epic Arrival.

It even made an appearance in an episode of Eastenders.

The full Hamnet score by Max Richter is out now.