“Wuthering Heights” has reached new heights

The novel “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë, which was published in 1847, was originally not well received by the public for its dark and haunting tone and theme, many considering it to be immoral. As time went on, it slowly became more accepted as a classical dark romance with its first movie adaptation in 1939. There have been numerous adaptations, with the most recent starring Jaboc Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as Cathy. This R-rated version, directed by Emerald Fennell, opened Feb. 13.

The movie had beautiful colors, music, and tone. One of the most dynamic and eye-catching sets. With the towering hills and fields, to Edgar Linton’s mansion, and most importantly, Wuthering Heights itself.    

The casting choices for both Cathy and Heathcliff were initially met with much backlash, both lacking physical resemblance to their respective novel characters: Cathy of the novel being a young adult not reaching the age of 20 with brown hair and eyes, and Heathcliff being described as “dark-skinned.” Fennell later told BBC the reason behind her casting choices: “They looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff in the first book that I read.”

Robbie also defended the casting, stating, “I saw him play Heathcliff. And he is Heathcliff. I’d say, just wait. Trust me, you’ll be happy.” 

Let’s just say I could not agree more with Robbie.

In 2 hours and 16 minutes, we watch Cathy and Heathcliff meet as young children (played by Charlotte Mellington and Owen Cooper, respectively) when Cathy’s abusive and alcoholic father, Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes), brings Heathcliff to their home at Wuthering Heights. We watch both children grow up under a shroud of darkness, Mr. Earnshaw gambling away almost everything, and becoming more violent. 

The violence comes to a head when Cathy and Heathcliff are caught in a storm while playing outside and cannot return home until very late. Heathcliff protects Cathy, forcing her to leave, being dragged out by Nelly (Hong Chau). Nelly plays a pivotal role in the movie, starting as Cathy’s “friend” and servant, but as Heathcliff becomes closer to Cathy, she fades away until we return to Wuthering Heights with Cathy, Heathcliff, and Nelly being fully grown. 

This is when the story truly unfolds. We watch as the Earnshaws get a new neighbor, the Lintons, consisting of Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif) and his ward, Isabella (Alison Oliver). Cathy, being the curious and adventurous young woman she is, wants to meet the Lintons, desperately going as far as climbing the wall that surrounded their mansion, which in the beginning of the film seemed to be a bright place full of warmth, heavily contrasting the darkness of Wuthering Heights. 

Throughout the film, we see Heathcliff form an obsessive love toward Cathy, and Cathy, though she loves him back, is a young woman in a troubling time period where one could not just marry whomever one pleased. 

Cathy later accepts Linton’s offer of marriage, more so to escape her surroundings than anything else, and struggles with how to talk to Heathcliff about the whole matter. In my opinion, this is where we start seeing some truly amazing acting from the cast. Heathcliff broods and leaves heartbroken. Cathy realizes many things, and this leaves her heartbroken. Nelly becomes someone more cunning than I expected. I was honestly shocked by the level of acting skills the cast provided, with Robbie, Elordi, and Oliver playing extremely dynamic and complex characters.

The story itself stays mostly true to the novel, with a few exceptions, like the age of characters and how much time Heathcliff was absent from Cathy’s life. The film also has a heavier focus on the romance, which  I know some fans will be disappointed in, but I honestly think it added to the storyline and made the longing Cathy and Heathcliff feel for each other all the more impactful. 

The movie culminates with some of the most haunting plot points I have ever seen, and though going into the movie having read the book, I was completely floored. From the acting, to the script, to the set and overall ambiance, the film was stunning. 

I implore anyone who watches the movie to be prepared for some truly haunting scenes, but also scenes that will bring tears to your eyes.

–Feb. 13, 2026–