Wuthering Heights elevates beauty over substance

Wuthering Heights elevates beauty over substance as Director Emerald Fennell paints a stunningly beautiful picture for the two literary characters to emote in. There have been many adaptations of Emily Brontë’s classic novel, but none have taken as many liberties or focused as intently on the passion of its main characters.

Synopsis: A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. | 2h 16m | Rated R for sexual content, some violent content and language.

If you have never read the book nor seen any of the previous movies or series you may wonder what all the fuss is about. After watching you may still feel that way. Regardless of your history with the story and characters there is no denying the ferocious love that engulfs all who watch. The love of Heathcliff and Cathy is not safe. It is not stable. It is unlike anything we have seen or experienced. That love is the backbone and Emerald Fennell has tunnel vision in trying to get that passion across.

Cathy (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) meet as children when Cathy’s well-meaning father brings the boy home with the hope of giving him a better life. Cathy takes Heathcliff as much a pet as a friend and the two become inseparable. There love for each other is not easily definable and even though do not have the ability to articulate it. As adults even they seem incapable of expressing their feelings. When Cathy accepts the proposal of Edgar (Shazad Latif), a wealthy neighbor, it shatters both hearts and begins a destructive journey steeped in pain and passion.

Robbie and Elordi are both such strong performers who are willing to go to dark places with characters. When that darkness is harnessed in love and heartache it is even more volatile. We as viewers have to believe all of it. The bound, the love, the pain, the betrayal, and the anger. If any one of those elements stumbles then we lose the connection. There are a few miss steps here but not enough to break the relevance.

Cathy is as multifaceted as Heathcliff is one dimensional. He would be content with nothing but her, while she longs for everything and him. The struggle is real for them both. It is hard to root for Cathy as much as we want to. It does not help that her husband Edgar is not a bad man. He loves Cathy and gives her everything. Even when Heathcliff comes back into their lives Edgar offers more grace. You feel for Edgar as much as anyone. Maybe not in this story as in other renditions, but it is still clear that he deserves better.

Two other characters in this tragedy is Nelly (Hong Chau) and Isabella (Alison Oliver). Nelly has been a hired companion for Cathy since they were children. Nelly has watched it all play out and though protective of Cathy, she is portrayed here as also envious and basically fed up with Cathy’s actions. In the book and all previous films Isabella is the sister of Edgar. Here she is given the role of ward. Why they change, who knows. It works the same regardless. Isabella is a young woman whom Edgar provides for. She soon becomes a pawn in Heathcliff’s retaliation.

If at any point we forget the type of stories and characters Emerald Fennell loves to bring us we can simply look to Isabella as a reminder. Alison is so fun to watch as she brings an unhinged, nerdy, at times psychotic character that is such a contrast to everyone else on screen. We want more of her. Isabella is an important cog in this wheel and though she gets some strong moments in the third act we don’t get as much as usual, and like everyone else she takes a backseat to Cathy and Heathcliff.

There is no denying the allure and intense seduction that permeates from these characters. Emerald creates a sexy, heart pounding, dance of sensual desire. But she does it with restraint that makes it even more fierce. Instead of filling every scene with run of the mill nudity and gratuitous sex, she goes the less is more route, and that makes it certainly a lot more. The scenes are indescribably hot and are so due to restraint.

This is a beautiful film. Nitpick all you want about lack of chemistry, weak story telling, straying from the original text; all that is debatable. What can not be argued is how stunning this movie looks. Emerald created gorgeous moments with color and contrast. The cinematography and the way the camera moves through some scenes make you want to pause and just study it. I am concerned that releasing the film this early in the year – though what better time for devastating love than Valentine’s Day – I hope that it is remembered come award season.

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Matt Mungle

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