Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights reimagines Emily Brontë’s bleak romance with a bold, visceral energy that feels both rooted in its gothic origins while being strikingly modern. We follow Catherine and Heathcliff, whose intense childhood bond becomes a consuming, forbidden love. Their paths converge and diverge through adulthood, fuelling jealousy and longing that draw everyone around them deeper into emotional ruin.

A bold directorial vision

Emerald Fennell brings the same sharp, provocative lens that defined Promising Young Woman and Saltburn to this adaptation, focusing on emotional intensity rather than strict adherence to period detail. Rather than merely replicating Brontë’s world, she interrogates the story’s elemental obsessions of power, desire, and self destruction, giving this Wuthering Heights a distinctive modern edge that amplifies its timeless themes.

Embodying love and ruin

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi deliver magnetic performances as Catherine and Heathcliff, their chemistry both electric and unsettling. Robbie infuses Catherine with impulsive energy and vulnerable unpredictability, while Elordi’s Heathcliff shifts between intense desire and quiet mystery. The child actors, Owen Cooper, debuting his acting career in the recent miniseries Adolescence, and Charlotte Mellington, captivate early on, grounding the story’s youthful innocence before it spirals into darker territory. As Robbie and Elordi take over the screen, their performances fully reflect the contrasting traits first established in their younger selves. When they reunite, their connection feels less like a destined couple and more like a gravitational pull forged from trauma, lust, and shared history. It is compelling, though not entirely sympathetic, leaving me wishing we had more reason to root for them beyond their mutual attraction and Heathcliff’s sudden transformation and improved haircut. I also found myself wanting more grounded dialogue between them rather than relying on romantic one liners, which would have given greater depth to their story and made their adult relationship feel even more earned. Alison Oliver, as Isabella, quickly became one of my favorite characters, injecting unexpected levity with a performance that balances humour and creeping instability. Her playful quarrels with Catherine, tinged by jealousy, and her own spiral into madness highlighted in the unforgettable scene of her leashed and barking like a dog underline the spellbinding, destructive hold Heathcliff has over the women in this story, making her presence one of the film’s most memorable.

Soundtrack as statement

One of the film’s most striking choices is its soundtrack. At first, Charli XCX scoring a period set story might have seemed out of place, yet it lands with striking effect. Electronic beats and modern textures sit surprisingly well against the moody period setting, heightening tension and emotional propulsion in ways that feel both fresh and purposeful. This blend of anachronistic sound with gothic atmosphere reinforces the film’s emotional core of buried passions that refuse to stay quiet.

Visual poetry in motion

Wuthering Heights is undeniably beautiful. Every frame feels intentional. Shadows linger like burdens, landscapes echo inner turmoil, and the camera often holds just long enough for emotion to wash over you. Even where the story falters in places, the film more than makes up for it with breathtaking shots of windswept moors, misty hills, and dramatic compositions that turn every scene into a visual experience. The set design is equally striking, subtly highlighting the class divide that runs through the story, combined with the landscapes and thoughtful framing. The film’s visuals create a mood that is both intense and oddly magnetic, pulling you in even when the story takes a backseat. It is visually striking without ever feeling gratuitously showy, a testament to how style can serve rather than overshadow substance.

Final take

Fennell’s Wuthering Heights strikes a rare balance of being beautiful, intense, visually captivating, and emotionally piercing. It honours the classic while bringing fresh energy to its essential themes of passion, self destruction, and the cruel irony of yearning for what destroys you. While I had hoped to see more of Catherine and Heathcliff’s adult lives and the deeper motivations behind their connection, Fennell instead leans into their obsession and erotic tension, highlighting how their desires seem almost fated, damned by their own impulses as much as by circumstance. With its bold directorial vision, striking performances, and haunting visuals, this adaptation proves that some tales of passion and despair are inescapable, haunting the viewer long after the story ends.

Written by Nicole Lozano