Emerald Fennell sets out to shock with her maximalist take on Emily Brontë's classic novel, but her grand vision lacks depth or heart.
"So what does Fennell bring to this world? Great gowns, beautiful gowns, by costume legend Jacqueline Durran, that nonetheless feel completely separate from the story being told around them. Suzie Davies’ undeniably impressive production design, particularly in making Thrushcross Grange feel like the Overlook Hotel if it was decorated by Simone Rocha, and one certified Charli XCX ft. John Cale anti-banger in ‘House’ (the rest of the Charli songs used in the film feel intrusive, notably ‘Chains of Love’ over the climactic, yet oddly lacking climax, Cathy and Heathcliff sex montage). Fennell’s eye for detail and ability to assemble a great roster of collaborators is not in dispute; she enthusiastically swings for the fences and there are absolutely striking visuals within Wuthering Heights, as there very much were in Saltburn (also shot by DoP Linus Sandgren). But what good is creating such a beautiful world if it’s so vacant? There is nothing that resonates below the surface here; this is a half-remembered story dressed in a beautiful gown that seems destined for TikTok fan edits and Pinterest mood boards rather than soul-stirring emotional catharsis. We are guided by the hand, instructed on how to feel at every moment, and trusted with nothing. If love cannot exist without trust, why are we doing any of this?
A final observation: in anticipation of the film’s release, Fennell programmed a series at the BFI IMAX of titles that inspired her version of Wuthering Heights, including Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter, David Cronenberg’s Crash, Park Chan-Wook’s The Handmaiden, Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, Mervyn LeRoy’s Random Harvest and Catherine Breillat’s Bluebeard. A veritable bounty of great films that should have been a promising indicator of things to come, but in retrospect only serve as a warning that liking great art doesn’t necessarily result in making great art yourself. Then again, perhaps that’s never been Fennell’s intention. Great art certainly doesn’t sell H+M capsule collections or Kleenex brand collabs."
