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| Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures |
Told in flashback as Emily Brontë (Emma Mackey) is on her deathbed, the film jumps back by a decade showing sister Charlotte Brontë (Alexandra Dowling) returning home from school for a visit where she tries to dissuade the introverted and socially awkward Emily from frolicking about in her imaginary worlds. Meanwhile a curate, William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), arrives for tutoring but is increasingly smitten with the withdrawn Emily who doubles down on her imaginative but unproductive game playing, much to her father and sister’s chagrin. After Emily’s father entrusts the curate to teach her French and religious philosophy, the two begin a secret love affair as she tries opium and alcohol with her brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead), getting more reckless and into trouble. All of these experiences comprised of good and bad eventually work their way into her soon-to-be literary masterpieces that make her a namesake in bookstores globally.
A clearly fictionalized but nevertheless engaging biopic which tries to get a sense of the rebellious energies of the Brontë sisters and in particular Emily Brontë, the film is partially a by-the-numbers costumed period piece full of evocative scenic cinematography and partially an experimental sometimes madcap gothic fable which plays fast and loose with the rules of the cinematic game. Drawing from the Aronofskian school of thought in scenes where she takes opium and her pupils contract replete with exaggerated sounds to evoke a particular feeling, this take on the Brontë sisters is at once steeped in period lore and modernist unconventional innovation. Much of the film’s strength comes from Emma Mackey who, yes at times, veers into capital A acting but she makes Emily Brontë into a fierce and complex woman desperate to find her voice.
For a first-time director Frances O’Connor’s film is handsomely rendered with lush widescreen photography by Nanu Segal. As with most period dramas the color and contrast levels are muted slightly to give a sense of sameness stemming from the rural region lived in by the characters. The orchestral score by Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski gives the film just the right sonic touch when it isn’t being compounded with nondiegetic sound effects heard inside Emily Brontë’s head. The ensemble cast alongside Emma Mackey is pretty good with Fionn Whitehead getting special attention for his caring and reassuring brother Branwell and veteran actress Gemma Jones of The Devils fame making an appearance as grandma.
Die-hard Brontë fans might be put off by the film’s free use of fictionalization for dramatic effect, grounding the story around a romance that’s borne purely out of speculation rather than hard facts. There’s also some attempts to probe into neuroses that drive Emily Brontë’s writing that feel contrived. Nevertheless, this British production crept into theaters unannounced and for Brontë stalwarts is something of a treat. If nothing else, it tries to shed a little bit more light on the life and personality of one of two of the world’s most important writers who ever lived. Now let’s hope sister Charlotte receives the same amount of attention this film doted on Emily.
--Andrew Kotwicki