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philthepill.online · @philthepill.online@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Wuthering Heights 7/10

I understand the satisfaction of engaging with theatrical adaptations of literature as a someone versed in the source material. I read Wuthering Heights for the first time in the weeks leading up to this movie so I could experience that satisfaction. And I did walk away with the feeling that having the original book so fresh in my mind made the movie less interesting. However, the cascade of smugness that English class nerds have unleashed on this movie is something else. I don't think Emerald Fennell didn't "get" the book. I think she read the book in a certain mindset and an idea stuck with her. She then used her considerable talent to bring that idea to screen and I would say within the confines of her version of the story, it works! It's visceral. It ruminates on death from the outset. And it is invested in the idea that Wuthering Heights is ultimately a story told by people with bias and rooted in the ideas of what should be proper and what is transgressive. She also really wanted Cathy and Heathcliff to do the nasty. Multiple times. As a montage. So, I dunno, maybe you do yourself a disservice when you walk into a work of film and decide you're going to use "accuracy to the agreed-upon themes of a book" as your enjoyment rubric. Seems like you're setting yourself up for a bad experience. (Heathcliff should never be white, though).

#movie

Published 2026-02-14 00:00 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere