Spoilers Ahead!
“Wuthering Heights” starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi was just released in theaters. Based on the classic novel by Emily Brontë, the film was one of the most anticipated of the year. Fans of the novel were excited to see this classic love story on the silver screen, and romance-lovers everywhere looked forward to a story of transcending class barriers, the childhood friends to lovers trope, and, of course, seeing well-known actors Robbie and Elordi portray a passionate couple. Overall, “Wuthering Heights” lived up to my expectations and is definitely worth watching.
The film centers around Catherine Earnshaw (played by Robbie), an optimistic girl who lives on her father’s Gothic estate with her paid companion. Although Catherine and her father were once wealthy and respected in society, her father’s alcoholism and gambling habits have left them nearly destitute. One day, her father brings home a poor boy to live with them, whom Catherine names Heathcliff (played by Elordi). The two quickly become best friends. I loved this part of the film because it showed how much happier both characters are when they enter each other’s lives, perfectly setting up their friendship to later turn into a romantic relationship.
Once they grow up, Catherine leaves to marry their wealthy, handsome neighbor and moves to his estate, where she begins living a lavish lifestyle. Although Catherine is happy in her marriage, Heathcliffe later returns, handsome, well-kept, and possessing a mysterious fortune. The two begin a secret but passionate affair. This storyline built tension and kept me super invested, as I was super nervous that their romance would be discovered.
The film does an excellent job of building up their romance; they constantly experience barriers in being together, which makes the moment when they finally kiss that much more satisfying. Both characters are also very well written and complex. Catherine struggles with choosing between her intense feelings for Heathcliff and the comfortable relationship she has with her wealthy husband, and throughout the film, Heathcliff struggles to accept Catherine’s marriage and makes several desperate attempts to draw her back to him.
The setting and soundtrack also add to the story’s aesthetic and allure. It is set in the Yorkshire countryside, allowing Heathcliff and Catherine’s passionate confessions of love to occur against the backdrop of tall cliffs on the ocean. The film’s soundtrack, created by Charli XCX, was also highly anticipated. Each song perfectly matches the characters’ longing for one another and adds to the complexity of the film.
Despite being written in the 1800s and taking place on grand English estates, “Wuthering Heights” is far from a traditional love story. Catherine and Heathcliff’s relationship is violent and masochistic, and it is full of complex feelings, including passion, rage, and jealousy. Additionally, the film ends with Catherine dying a tragic death, and Heathcliff arrives too late to say goodbye to her. This ending definitely left me in tears, but ultimately, I feel that it made the film more memorable and unique.
The film has received prominent criticism for veering away from several key components of the original novel. For example, in the novel, Heathcliff was dark-skinned, making important commentary on the racism present when it was written; this largely disappeared with Eloridi’s portrayal of the character. The novel was also split up into two parts, with the second part following the main characters’ children, but the film neglects this entire storyline and ends when the first part does (with Catherine’s death). I can understand why this might upset some, but the film was intended to be a loose interpretation of the novel, and, as someone who didn’t read it before, leaving out these details didn’t bother me too much.
Overall, I believe that “Wuthering Heights” lived up to the hype. The story was very well-developed and left me invested in the film for the whole two hours and 16 minutes. Robbie and Elordi both portrayed their characters perfectly, and their chemistry made the romance more believable. Whenever you have time to go to the theater, definitely rush to see “Wuthering Heights.”