We’ll freely admit it. English period-piece films about troubled poets feel kinda played and predictable, and dreary. But from all accounts, the new movie “Emily” about famous poet Emily Brontë and the events that inspired her seminal novel, “Wuthering Heights,” is a big winner. The film is the directorial debut of veteran actor turned filmmaker Frances O’Connor, known for starring in Steven Spielberg’s “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence,” which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, and critics raved, including ours.
Our reviewer from TIFF described the film as “dazzling…” O’Connor uses an intuitive, impressionistic visual approach to craft distinctive style, nimbly positioned between classical storytelling and contemporary aesthetics.”
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Written by O’Connor too, the stellar cast probably doesn’t hurt with up-and-comer Emma Mackey (known for “Sex Education” and “Death on the Nile”) starring as Brontë. The supporting cast is terrific too, and includes Fionn Whitehead, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Alexandra Dowling, Adrian Dunbar, Amelia Gething, and Gemma Jones.
Here’s the official synopsis:
EMILY imagines Emily Brontë’s own Gothic story that inspired her seminal novel, “Wuthering Heights.” Haunted by the death of her mother, Emily struggles within the confines of her family life and yearns for artistic and personal freedom, and so begins a journey to channel her creative potential into one of the greatest novels of all time.
“Emily” is in select theaters on February 17, 2023, via Bleecker Street Films. Check out the first U.S. official trailer below.