"I've heard so much about you, Mrs. Tesman," a detective admits to the eponymous character in the very first scene of Nia DaCosta's new sumptuous, feminist period drama. "Hedda is fine," she replies with a smile, though it's more of a statement than a friendly suggestion. Later in the movie, someone from her past refers to Hedda as 'Hedda Gabler', the maiden name she got from her late army-commander father, and she rejects that, too; DaCosta's protagonist isn't interested in being defined by men – and neither is the film itself.
Based on Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's classic work, Hedda swaps Scandinavia in the 1890s for 1950s England, opening on Tessa Thompson's lead and her new husband George Tesman (Tom Bateman) as they prepare to host a housewarming party. Their mansion was a gift of sorts from academic George to Hedda; an attempt to satiate his seemingly insatiable new wife – but tonight's shindig is as much about him schmoozing his peers and securing a high-profile professorship in order to pay off its colossal mortgage as it is Hedda showcasing her lavish p̶r̶i̶s̶o̶n̶ present.
