Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights has been criticised for reducing Emily Brontë's novel to a corset-heaving love story, ignoring its deeper explorations of class, race, and power. The film, starring Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, has faced backlash for its casting and thematic omissions.
In the novel, Heathcliff is a child of uncertain, likely foreign origin, plucked from Liverpool's streets and subjected to abuse due to his poverty and darker skin. Revenge, class struggle, and generational trauma are central, yet Fennell focuses almost exclusively on the romance. Critics argue that the director's decision to cast a white actor as Heathcliff contradicts the book's descriptions of him as a 'gypsy' and a 'lascar'.
Fennell has stated she wanted to make the film she imagined at age 14, adding, 'You can only make the movie that you sort of imagined yourself when you read it.' Her version also includes BDSM and boarding-school pranks, while the violent abuse of Isabella is played for laughs. In the original, a pregnant Isabella escapes Heathcliff, throwing her wedding ring in the fire—a groundbreaking moment for its time.
The film's treatment of class has drawn scrutiny, with Fennell's portrayal of Nelly Dean as a machinating servant echoing themes from her earlier film Saltburn. Critics note that the director's understanding of class struggle appears limited, reducing the novel's political commentary to a personal vendetta.
For many readers, studying Wuthering Heights under a skilled teacher in a comprehensive school revealed the inescapable class and racial dynamics. The film's disregard for these themes raises questions about who gets to make art and whose perspectives are prioritised.
