26/02/2026

LYFE THURSDAY | FEB 26, 2026

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MOVIE REVIEWS

After disappearing for five years, Heathcliff returns wealthy and determined to upend the lives of those who wronged him.

Catherine Earnshaw was first introduced in Bronte’s 1847 novel at just 18 years old.

Ű BY AMEEN HAZIZI

D IRECTED by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, Wuthering Heights arrives burdened with one of literature’s most volatile love stories. This 2026 adaptation streamlines Emily Bronte’s dense and layered novel into something far more direct and visceral. Whether that streamlining works depends on what you value in the story. By most accounts from readers of the novel, much of the book’s structural complexity and narrative twists have been removed. The plot here feels simplified, almost flattened. It moves cleanly from childhood trauma to obsessive adulthood without the intricate framing that made the novel feel so suffocating and cyclical. The result is more accessible, but also arguably less powerful. What the film lacks in narrative depth, it compensates for in sheer sensory impact. Carnality over longing This version leans heavily into physical desire. The romance between Catherine (Robbie) and Heathcliff (Elordi) is intensely sexualised, foregrounding their affair in ways that strip away some of the novel’s tortured spiritual longing. Instead of yearning defined by repression, this is desire made explicit. There is an unsettling edge to their connection that the film does not shy away from. Cathy names Heathcliff after her deceased brother. They grow up together under the same roof, raised almost as siblings. The implication adds a layer of discomfort that makes their later intimacy feel transgressive rather than romantic. Whether that tension is deliberate commentary or simply provocative staging is unclear, but it lingers. Everyone in this story is terrible, but none more so than Cathy and Heathcliff. Cathy is bratty, immature and perpetually dissatisfied. Her marriage to Edgar Linton offers her a fairy-tale escape from poverty, complete with wealth and status, yet she remains deeply unhappy. In a time when divorce was not an option for women, her frustration feels historically grounded, even if her choices are selfish and destructive. Elordi’s Heathcliff is controlled and intelligent, almost serene on the surface. Beneath that calm lies something far darker. His obsession with Cathy curdles into cruelty. He is lovelorn but broken, capable of profound devotion and profound depravity in equal measure. Elordi plays him with a quiet intensity that contrasts sharply with Robbie’s more volatile performance. Despite their seven-year age difference, Robbie and Elordi are convincing as childhood peers turned doomed lovers. Robbie leans into Cathy’s immaturity, making her feel emotionally stunted and impulsive. Elordi, meanwhile, brings a jaded restraint to Heathcliff, making him feel prematurely aged by trauma. Owen Cooper, as young Heathcliff, is particularly striking. Known for his breakout role in Adolescence (2025), he conveys the character’s rage and humiliation with

Lovers in ruin o Lust, loathing in 21st-century Wuthering Heights

Whitewashing discourse There has been controversy surrounding the casting of Heathcliff. In Bronte’s novel, the character is described as dark-skinned, possibly of Spanish or Romani descent. Casting a white actor has sparked debate. Some argue it erases the racial ambiguity central to Heathcliff’s outsider status. Others speculate that depicting a brown man aggressively pursuing a white married woman in such a sexually charged adaptation could have veered into racist caricature. The film does not meaningfully engage with this tension. Instead, it sidesteps it entirely, focusing on aesthetic intensity over sociopolitical nuance. Final thoughts At 136 minutes, Wuthering Heights is less interested in faithfully translating the novel than in reimagining it as a chic, carnal gothic melodrama. It is visually stunning and frequently

whose innocence and warmth slowly emerged. Heathcliff is the inverse. There is no innocence to uncover, no moral centre waiting to be redeemed. The contrast highlights Elordi’s range as an actor capable of embodying vastly different shades of gothic masculinity.

heartbreaking clarity. In his softer features, you can see the abuse shaping the man Heathcliff will become. Visual triumph If there is one area where the film is undeniably successful, it is in its visual design. Cinematographer Linus Sandgren captures the English countryside in sweeping wide shots of rocky hills and cliffs that emphasise isolation. The landscape feels vast and lonely, mirroring the emotional desolation of its characters. The interiors are just as deliberate. Wuthering Heights itself is oppressive, with its jagged rocks looming behind it and its dark, cramped spaces creating a sense of suffocation. Thrushcross Grange, by contrast, is vibrant and ornate. The colours are rich and eye-popping, almost surreal against the film’s deep blacks. The set design is meticulous, especially in the Grange, where excess and beauty mask emotional decay. The soundtrack is unexpectedly modern. Anthony Willis’s score is complemented by songs from Charli XCX, amplifying moods rather than adhering strictly to period authenticity. It is a bold choice that enhances the heightened tone of the film. Elordi’s gothic range It is hard not to compare Elordi’s performance here to his recent turn in Frankenstein (2025) directed by Guillermo del Toro. In that adaptation, he played a dark, aloof figure

compelling. But by simplifying the plot and foregrounding physicality over

emotional and spiritual torment, it sacrifices some of the story’s haunting complexity. This is not high literature on screen. It is mood, colour and desire turned up to full volume. Whether that is enough depends on what you wanted from the storm.

0 Cast: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Alison Oliver, Shazad Latif, Ewan Mitchell, Owen Cooper, Martin Clunes, Hong Chau 0 Director: Emerald Flennel

The film is shot on 35mm VistaVision cameras, giving the Yorkshire landscapes a

E-VALUE 6 ACTING

The passionate and tumultuous love story is playing in cinemas now. – ALL PICS IMDB

textured, painterly quality.

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