Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights might be the most polarising film of the year, dividing audiences just like Saltburn did in 2023. Now, you can finally watch the doomed love story from the comfort of your couch – it’s finally available to stream in the UK.
Receiving a mixed critical reception, the adaptation stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, and it thoroughly divided The Independent’s culture desk. Senior lifestyle and culture writer Katie Rosseinsky calling it “flat and empty”, while culture editor Jessie Thompson praised its “artistic maximalism”, adding “that’s kind of why I loved it”. Shot on the Yorkshire moors, the ultra-stylised film features a Charli XCX soundtrack, glossy gothic costuming and blood-red hues.
Based on Emily Bronte’s seminal 1874 book Wuthering Heights, critics have berated the film for waving away the book’s focus on class and race in favour of the feverish romance between Cathy and Heathcliff. But love it or loathe it, it’s one of the most talked-about releases this year, and you can now stream it in the UK on HBO Max.
Read more: This novel is about to be everywhere – and there’s already a screen adaptation in the works
Where to watch ‘Wuthering Heights’ in the UK
Wuthering Heights is famously set in the brutal but beautiful landscape of the Yorkshire Moors. The movie opens with Mr Earnshaw (Martin Clumes) bringing a young, abandoned boy home to Thrushcross Grange. His daughter Cathy names him Heathcliff and the two develop a volatile but close bond as children. Flash forward to adulthood, and Cathy must decide between her innate and primal love for Heathcliff or the wealth and stability that their new neighbour, Edgar Linton, offers in marriage.
Most will be familiar with the novel’s tragic end, but Fennell freshens up the source material with emotional turmoil, steamy scenes and toxic, violent love. Thanks to Elordi’s brooding, handsome Heathcliff, the cinema unsurprisingly audience skewed female. But now even the most reluctant husbands can watch at home.
To watch Wuthering Heights, you’ll need an HBO Max standard subscription. The standard with adds tier costs £5.99 per month, but you can also get it ad-free for £9.99 per month.
If you’re an Amazon Prime customer, you can also subscribe to HBO Max via Prime Channels. It’s the most convenient way to subscribe if you already spend an inordinate amount of time on Amazon Prime Video. Instead of using multiple apps, you can watch HBO Max alongside your existing Prime content, with a single bill and the same interface.
HBO Max has launched in the UK, here’s why you should subscribe
