When it comes to cinematic adaptations of novels, there are two schools of thought. On one hand, a faithful page-to-screen translation is often coveted; on the other, an adaptation that fully aligns with a filmmaker’s vision and style can be far more compelling, and that’s usually where I land. But what happens when a property has already been adapted countless times? Enter Academy Award winner Emerald Fennell, whose singular cinematic language makes her an inspired choice for this latest iteration. After more than ten adaptations, Fennell feels like the perfect voice to reimagine this material for a new generation of Wuthering Heights.
Coming to “Wuthering Heights” without any particular attachment to the source material, Emerald Fennell still goes 3 for 3, delivering what may be her most luminously feral film yet, a love story that does not glow so much as burn. It’s bold, overheated, unruly, and gloriously uninterested in subtlety.
“Wuthering Heights” follows the bond between Heathcliff, an orphan taken in by the Earnshaw family, and Catherine Earnshaw, whose love for him is undone by class divisions and social ambition. When Catherine chooses stability in the form of Edgar Linton, Heathcliff disappears for years as she builds a life with Edgar. Upon Heathcliff’s return, Catherine’s carefully separated worlds collide in volatile and deeply complicated ways.
There is no denying that Emerald Fennell’s trademarks are on full display, with both the direction and screenplay steeped in provocation, moral unease, and wickedly dark humor. Unlike Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, “Wuthering Heights” is driven less by shock value and more by raw, consuming passion. In this shift, Fennell is able to explore control, power dynamics, and satire with greater restraint, allowing the material to breathe rather than relying on provocation as a crutch. The result is a screenplay that feels more disciplined and a piece of direction that suggests a filmmaker growing more confident in letting character and obsession, not spectacle, do the heavy lifting.
Academy Award nominees Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi are devastatingly electric together, their natural chemistry pushing the film’s passion well past excess. Individually, both deliver emotionally rich performances, but it’s when they share the screen that the film truly ignites. Robbie and Elordi bring out something feral in one another, making their scenes crackle with intensity and longing. Among the supporting cast, the ever-reliable Hong Chau is excellent, but it’s Alison Oliver who emerges as “Wuthering Heights” true secret weapon.
Working within material that largely rejects satire and overt comedy, Oliver nonetheless lightens the air every time she appears. She is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, grounding the film’s emotional extremes with precision and wit. It’s a performance that’s sure to linger.
Linus Sandgren’s cinematography, Suzie Davies’ production design, and Jacqueline Durran’s costume design are a match made in heaven. Individually striking, their work blends seamlessly to capture Emerald Fennell’s distinct voice and heightened sensibility. Aided by Charli XCX’s needle drops and Anthony Willis’ score, the technical crafts of “Wuthering Heights” elevate the film into an ideal retelling of this story, where the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts has never rung truer.
“Wuthering Heights” is unlikely to convert those already resistant to Emerald Fennell’s sensibilities, and its overextended runtime occasionally threatens to overstay its welcome. But for viewers willing to meet the film on its own terms, this is a gripping, feverish reimagining that leans fully into obsession, passion, and emotional extremity. Fennell embraces the excess rather than apologizing for it, crafting a version of this story that feels alive, volatile, and deeply felt. It may not be subtle, restrained, or universally palatable, but it is consistently absorbing, and in its willingness to burn rather than behave, “Wuthering Heights” proves itself a bold and ultimately captivating cinematic experience.
