“Wuthering Heights”—an untamed tale of love, obsession, and destruction. A classic, written by Emily Brontë. To be completely honest, I haven’t read the book or any summaries of the plot, so I had no idea what to expect going into the movie. Therefore, I cannot comment on the accuracy of the adaptation, so, I will analyze its merits as just a movie.
The plot follows the toxic relationship between Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Cathy Earnshaw (Margot Robbie), as they navigate their soul-consuming love for one another. At one point, Heathcliff leaves in agony after Cathy says that marrying him would “degrade her” because he is a poor man. Cathy then marries a rich man named Mr. Linton—this marriage eventually spirals and ignites destruction, obsession, and ultimately tragedy between Heathcliff and Cathy.
The movie has stunning scenery—very much gothic-like, catered to the desolate, Yorkshire countryside in Northern England where the story takes place. The scenery has to be the best part of the movie by far. It felt as if it was separated into two settings: Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. These two settings visually served as the calm and storm of the movie. Wuthering Heights is where Cathy and Heathcliff grew up together. People who live here don’t have much money, food is scarce, and houses feel cold and dark. While there are a few wholesome scenes here depicting young Heathcliff and Cathy, the relative majority of the scenes shot here are particularly somber.
Thrushcross Grange is the mansion and surrounding area where Mr. Linton lives. The mansion is dream-like, with luxurious carpeted floors and brightly lit rooms, representing the calm and extravagance that is absent in Wuthering Heights. I immensely enjoyed the cinematic portrayal of Wuthering Heights versus Thrushcross Grange. The atmosphere in Wuthering Heights is uneven and cramped, with the dim lighting and torn and shabby furniture . In Thrushcross Grange, everything feels symmetrical and focused on the polished aspects of the grand architecture. This works well by displaying how Thrushcross Grange is much more put together than Wuthering Heights. I also loved how the Northern England countryside is shown beautifully through the winding Yorkshire moors—adding to the desolate atmosphere.
My only true issue was the actual execution of the story. Even without reading the book, I knew something was off about the storyline. It was almost like pieces of a puzzle were put together in the wrong way—things didn’t fit. I was left having to look up answers to questions that should’ve been answered in the film—what is Heathcliff’s background? There were so many plot holes throughout the movie that it was so difficult to understand what was happening. Once again, I had not read the book prior to watching the film, but despite this, I still didn’t understand the plot. For example, in the beginning, when Heathcliff and Cathy are kids, they have a sibling-like relationship. The movie abruptly pivots to when they are older but, now, within a romantic relationship. To me, this didn’t make sense. The movie skipped a whole chunk of time that could have explained the sudden shift in relationship. The lack of clarity led to the absence of depth and emotion in the story. The director, Emerald Fennell, may have made the movie her own “adaptation” of the book, but the movie shouldn’t have felt so choppy—it almost felt as if she chose her favorite parts and haphazardly pieced them together.
What’s more, “Wuthering Heights” is, at its core, not really a love story; it’s a lesson about how obsession can lead to destruction and how love cannot always guarantee happiness. The film didn’t quite capture this essential lesson—instead, it made the audience root for Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship despite its pattern of revenge and destruction.
To look on the bright side, Elordi and Robbie performed well in their roles, despite having to star in a movie with multiple plot holes and lackluster execution. One of my favorite acting moments was Owen Cooper’s amazing portrayal of young Heathcliff. After his brilliant performance in the Netflix miniseries “Adolescence,” I had high hopes for his film debut. He defied my already high expectations and delivered an intense and raw interpretation of Heathcliff’s youth—adding his own flair to the film.
Overall, this film was mediocre. While I loved the set and acting, the plot was not executed as well as it could’ve been. If you have not read the book, like myself, I’d suggest you watch the movie and enjoy it as a stand-alone rather than an adaptation. Despite its flaws, it’s pretty intriguing and is worth at least one watch.