The director of “Saltburn” and “Promising Young Woman,” Emerald Fennell has released her third film titled “’Wuthering Heights.’” The film—which attempts to be an adaptation of the classic Emily Brontë novel of the same name—fails to capture any of the main themes of the novel, and doesn’t reinvent any themes either, ultimately falling flat. 

Fennell, known for her disturbing and uncomfortable visuals, carried out this reputation in her newest film. The film is filled with somewhat shocking and unnerving scenes, like a public execution, for what appears to be pure shock value. These visuals add essentially nothing to the actual issues at play. 

Our two main characters, Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) and Cathy (Margot Robbie), engage in a toxic romance—one that should not be romanticized. The novel clearly urges audiences to understand that their love is not something to yearn for. Brontë includes the abusive tendencies of both characters, evolving the novel into a cautionary tale, rather than a romance. 

The novel follows three generations, which examines the lasting effects of abuse and generational trauma. In the film, the other generations are wiped from the plot, stripping the story of its deeper meaning of how Heathcliff and Cathy’s actions had lasting consequences. 

“’Wuthering Heights’” attempts to rewrite the story, making it appear as if Heathcliff and Cathy have an epic romance. While this decision remains irresponsible due to the severity of the subject matter discussed in the novel, like abuse, alcoholism, sexual assault and revenge, if done well, it could have been reinvented into a new story. 

Unfortunately, the film lacks any quality that would make this relationship appear as a great love story. Healthcliff and Cathy lack any real chemistry, aside from lust. The film moves quickly past their youth and skips right to their separation. The characters appear to have a weird infatuation with each other, but it’s not explored and is just expected to be taken as truth. 

Aside from the relationship issues in the film, it also has a glaring issue regarding Heathcliff. In the novel, it is clearly stated that he is a person of color. While his explicit place of origin is not stated, he is not at all white. The racism that Heathcliff faces in the novel is one of the most significant reasons why he becomes abusive. Removing this poignant point of the novel and casting Elordi completely undermines the character and how the audience should understand him. 

The film’s side characters, like Edgar (Shazad Latif) and Isabella Linton (Alison Oliver), are reduced to mere placeholders for Heathcliff and Cathy. In the novel, each character has their own individual arc—this aspect is completely lost in the film, and even goes as far as degrading Isabella, arguably the strongest female character in the novel. 

One quality that redeems the film is the young Heathcliff (Owen Cooper) and young Cathy (Charlotte Mellington). The two actors perfectly convey the childlike wonder, curiosity and love the characters have for one another; however, the innocent and captivating part of their relationship seems to be lost as time passes.

Adaptations do not need to be 100% truthful to their literary counterparts; however, they should remain true to the messages and themes. The issue with “’Wuthering Heights’” is that it actively avoids the harsh realities of the novel to create a lackluster alternate reality. 

From the casting to the erasure of important characters and plotlines, the film fails to address the important aspects of the novel and is completely disrespectful to its source material.