
Emerald Fennell’s latest film, Wuthering Heists, is surprisingly her most successful, even though it’s also her most frivolous. Fennell excels at creating visually stunning and immediately gratifying scenes – think lavish imagery set to energetic pop music – that bypass intellectual analysis and tap into pure enjoyment. However, she hasn’t quite mastered delivering films with strong, meaningful themes. Her first film, Promising Young Woman, started strong but ultimately struggled with its ambitious attempt to explore the complexities of anger surrounding sexual assault. Saltburn was visually striking but lacked a clear focus in its commentary on class. With Wuthering Heights, Fennell abandons the pressure to deliver a profound message, and the result is liberating. She recognizes the core of Brontë’s story – a passionate, obsessive, and destructive relationship between two people – and boils it down to its essence: two complicated individuals drawn to each other despite themselves. This understanding makes the film’s playful and sensual approach even more effective.