Oscar-nominated director Emerald Fennell's controversial take on Emily Brontë's novel, Wuthering Heights, sparked internet backlash, but she offered her own defense behind the creative decision.
Considering that classic novels are almost always complicated enough to adapt, Fennell's words might ring true to some fans.
In Emerald Fennell's Defense, What is Wuthering Heights Really About?
Original fans were already skeptical upon seeing Margot Robbie as Catherine and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, but the modern adaptation of the novel, according to Fennell, promises to make sense.
"I wanted to make something that made me feel like I felt when I first read it, which means that it's an emotional response to something," Fennell told in a recent interview on BBC, "It's, like, primal, sexual."
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She even spoke about the "enormous amount of sado-masochism" in the book that she strives to put out there once the movie premieres, "There's a reason people were deeply shocked by it [when it was published]. But it's been a kind of masochistic exercise working on it because I love it so much, and it can't love me back, and I have to live with that."
She added, "So it's been troubling, but I think in a really useful way."
It's unlikely for fans to empathize with how Fennell envisions Wuthering Heights, but she did receive similarly mixed receptions with her Oscar-winning screenplay for Promising Young Woman, so it would be best to hold the tomatoes and the applause until Valentine's Day next year.
Why the Mixed Reactions Towards Wuthering Heights Make Sense
For one thing, a trailer does not define everything that a movie's bound to be. They can be misleading, for the most part, to ensure fans don't receive the spoiler treatment of the modern adaptation.
The way Fennell sees it, it's her own personal interpretation of the classic work, which is already riskier than adhering to how Brontë's novel unfolds.
Wuthering Heights already served its own controversial take when Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw's intense and obsessive relationship became a central plotline to the story, but there's more to it than meets the eye.
In the meantime, fans can hold their tongue until Wuthering Heights hits the big screens on February 13, 2026. Let us know your thoughts about the trailer in the comments below!
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