Emily begins and ends with Emily Brontë on her deathbed. Is it heartbreak that led to her early death at the age of 30 or something less dramatic? Her death’s attributed to tuberculosis (the same disease that took her siblings), but first-time feature film writer/director Frances O’Connor paints such a gorgeous picture of a life full of tragedy, romance, betrayal, and longing that she makes it possible to believe Emily succumbed to something more mysterious and befitting of the author of Wuthering Heights.
Brontë siblings Emily (Emma Mackey), Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling), Anne (Amelia Gething), and Branwell (Fionn Whitehead) are artistically inclined, with Branwell – the sole male – the free-spirited, wild child of the group. They all share an ability and desire to write.
Of the siblings, Branwell and Emily’s relationship proves the most interesting in O’Connor’s directorial debut. Emily dearly loves her impulsive brother, and both push the boundaries of what’s socially acceptable in the early 1800s. Emily and Branwell have neither the ability nor the desire to adapt and fit in and instead prefer to openly question and speak out on topics that stir their passion.
Emily’s unconcerned with how she comes across and prefers sharing stories with her sisters and brother rather than joining in on social outings with young ladies her age. It’s a blessing in disguise when panic attacks force her to leave school and return to her more isolated world.
Although there’s no evidence that what happens next actually occurred, we can hope that Emily Brontë had someone who engaged her mentally and satisfied her emotionally the way the new curate William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) does in O’Connor’s vision of Brontë’s life. So little is known about the author of Wuthering Heights that nothing O’Connor proposes is outside the lines of what’s possible or probable. (William Weightman did exist and was apparently quite a flirt.)
Emily and William’s relationship builds from lingering glances and tentative touches to an all-consuming fireball fueled by lust and passion. It’s not inconceivable that Emily engaged in a sensual, liberating relationship such as what’s depicted in Emily, given the incredibly complex relationships she created in Wuthering Heights.
William provides Emily with not just love but encouragement before society intrudes on their relationship. Branwell also spurs Emily on to follow her dreams, demanding his sister not just whisper but shout the saying tattooed on his arm: “Freedom in Thought.” And Emily’s Wuthering Heights is that shout, echoing through the ages.
Actor and filmmaker Frances O’Connor has created a beautiful world for Emily and her siblings, and Emma Mackey (Sex Education) plays the author as an observer, an introvert who absorbs her surroundings. You get the sense she’s squirreling away her impressions to provide fodder for poems and stories, which is precisely what a gifted writer would do.
Mackey’s performance is sheer perfection, and admirers of Emily Brontë can only hope the talented writer lived as rich a life as O’Connor envisioned and Mackey portrays.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: R for some sexuality, nudity, and drug use
Release Date: February 17, 2023 (Limited) and February 24th (Wider)
Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Studio: Bleecker Street
