“Wuthering Heights”: A Dueling Discussion

A review of the “Wuthering Heights” movie from two different book girl perspectives. SPOILER WARNING!

Poster from wutheringheightsfilm.com

Did you enjoy it, admire it, or merely survive it?

Emmarie: I think I survived it, still not sure. I did enjoy the cinematography and costuming for the film; it was beautiful to look at.

Sarah: Um. I enjoyed it, I think.

Did it feel romantic, tragic, toxic, haunting, or all of the above?

Emmarie: Ironically, this kind of missed the mark for haunting. Absolutely toxic. I couldn’t get the romantic vibes, mostly because the obsession and lust felt stronger.

Sarah: OH, All of the above. Toxic and weirdly romantic overall. 

Would you watch it again willingly?

Emmarie: No, probably not. I gave it a shot and decided it was not for me and that is okay!

Sarah: Lmao. I don’t know. Some scenes. I’m torn. Yes? 

How would you describe the overall vibe of the film?

Emmarie: Weird? Kind of indescribable. At no point was I prepared for the film, which is odd, because I read the novel and knew the plot?

Sarah: A beautiful, slightly disgusting, almost erotic fanfiction of Bronte’s novel and I kind of liked it. 

Who was your favorite character and why?

Emmarie: Maybe Nelly, she did what she had to do, I respect that. Although the only character I truly felt bad for was Edgar, the poor guy just wanted to have a happy wife. Everyone else was just exhausting and bizarre to me.

Sarah: Nelly was my top favorite. She was the most sensible and I felt like I could relate to her and probably Edgar the most, the two sanest people in the movie. 

Who do you think was the true villain of the story?

Emmarie: I want to say Catherine’s father. He sucks. He can be blamed for their issues for sure but at some point, Catherine and Heathcliff are their own people and needed to be normal.

Sarah: The father. His actions kick started everything negative. Cathy is also up for the Villain award… little brat. 

If you had to defend one character in court, who would it be?

Emmarie: Nelly. She was over hated in my opinion. I think she did what she felt was necessary to give Catherine and herself a luxurious and consistent life. Her setting up Catherine to break Heathcliff’s heart? Kind of deserving after she treated Nelly terribly. Whatever life Catherine had would automatically be where Nelly was subjected - I wouldn’t want to live poorly and in misery either.

Sarah: Nelly. I’ll defend you to the death, Nelly. Everyone else except you and Edgar sucked.  

Did you root for them as a couple?

Emmarie: Honestly, I would not subject either of them to anyone else so, yes?

Sarah: Heathcliff and Cathy? In the beginning, yes. Once she was married? No. Come on, guys. Edgar was a sweet guy and the dog stuff with the “ward” was a major turn off, Heathcliff. 

Is this your kind of romance in fiction, or absolutely not?

Emmarie: No.

Sarah: Yes. You should see my bookshelf. Are we referring to the NOVEL Wuthering Heights or this specific romance between Heathcliff and Cathy shown in the movie… because Yes. 

What scene confused you the most?

Emmarie: THE FLESH WALLS?! At first, I thought okay, kind of sweet, just the color of her skin. Wrong, so wrong. Not just her skin color but her VEINS and MOLE. Honorable mention: The weird dog scene with Isabella??

Sarah: THE SKIN WALL. Why? Someone smarter than me explain! 

Did this film make misery look seductive?

Emmarie: No, at no point in the film did I think, “This looks like something I want to be a part of.” The seduction of their misery was lost on me. I just wanted them to stop making their misery everyone else’s problem.

Sarah: I would say yes. There was something incredibly alluring about this mess. 

Who would you recommend it to? Who should absolutely never watch this movie?

Emmarie: I do think some of my friends would absolutely eat this film up and I did tell many of them to watch. Anyone who is very attached to the novel, I may tell them to skip.

Sarah: I’d recommend it to anyone who feels drawn to watch it. And Timothee Chalamet. What did you think of the skin wall, Timothee? 
I would not recommend it to my mother. Sorry, Cynthia. 

Rate the movie out of 10.

Emmarie: 3/10. This was hard. We lost a lot of points for the loss of the original plot. The best way I could describe it was if a teenage girl read Wuthering Heights and then wrote a fanfiction years later on just the faint memory she had left.

Sarah: 7/10. Don’t make me explain. 

What is the one thing you and your friend will probably disagree with over this film?

Emmarie: I think Sarah enjoyed the film overall. I was disappointed with the way major points from the novel were just thrown away and could not look past that. I think she could.

Sarah: That it was an entertaining film overall and an interesting take on the character Cathy. Wuthering Heights was always strange. This specifically focused on Cathy’s journey from childhood to death and I left the theater feeling like I absolutely COULD be haunted by her ghost.