Emerald Fennell has repeatedly described “Wuthering Heights” not as a direct adaptation of Emily Brontë's gothic classic, but as her 14-year-old self’s interpretation of it. Rather than bringing both halves of the novel, in all its density, to the screen, she focused on what kept her glued to the page (and turned on) as a teenager: the complicated romance and retribution between Catherine and Heathcliff.
At every turn, the blockbuster romance, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, unfolds like a teen’s bodice-ripper fantasia: There’s an anachronistic avant-pop soundtrack from Charli xcx, fairy-tale-like costumes, restrained kisses in the rain. And lots and lots of ribbons.
