*Lost in Translation: Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights Falls Short of Brontë’s Power*

Cast: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver  Directed by: Emerald Fennell  Adapting Wuthering Heights for the...

Cast: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver 

Directed by: Emerald Fennell 

Adapting Wuthering Heights for the screen is never an easy task. The novel’s emotional density, moral ambiguity, and gothic intensity resist simplification—and unfortunately, Emerald Fennell’s take on Emily Bronte’s 1847 classic proves that great literature doesn’t always translate into great cinema.

While the film boasts star power with Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, much of Brontë’s original depth feels lost in translation. The adaptation makes too many departures from the source, resulting in characters who often feel flattened and oddly unidimensional compared to their richly layered literary counterparts.

Robbie delivers a sincere and committed Catherine, capturing flashes of the character’s passion and volatility. Elordi, however, is underserved by the script; his Heathcliff lacks the complexity and internal torment that define the role, coming across as inadequately written rather than tragically compelling.

Supporting performances help steady the film. Hong Chau brings warmth and quiet strength to Nelly, while Shahzad Latif offers a solid Edward. Technically, the movie shines: the windswept visuals from Linus Sandgren are often striking, and Antony Willis provides a haunting score that adds atmosphere even when the storytelling falters.

Still, for viewers familiar with Brontë’s novel, the experience is likely to disappoint. The film struggles to capture the book’s emotional gravity and psychological nuance, favoring surface-level drama over the dark, obsessive soul at its core.

This Wuthering Heights is visually polished and occasionally well-acted, but creatively uneven. Readers of the novel may find it an unsatisfying adaptation, lacking the essence that made the original enduring. Whether audiences unfamiliar with the book will embrace it as a standalone film remains debatable—but for devotees of Brontë, this is more a missed opportunity than a triumphant reimagining. 

By Pratik Majumdar (author: Love Coffee Murder and 1975 The Year That Transformed Bollywood)