Title: Wuthering Heights
Director: Emerald Fennell
Screenplay by Emerald Fennell
Based on Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Release Date: February 13, 2026
Genre: Gothic, Romance
The trailer for Wuthering Heights intrigued me from the first frame. Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, stunning costuming, and the bold tagline proclaiming it “the greatest love story ever written” immediately drew me in
But after watching Emerald Fennell’s adaption, I have just one question: Are we watching the same story?
This is not a romance. Sure, you can label it a “dark romance,” but it is actually a revenge story wrapped in obsession, trauma, and toxic behavior disguised as love. Yet, even though it isn’t a love story, it is entirely fascinating.
Catherine & Heathcliff: This Is Not Romance. It’s Possession.
The film frames Catherine (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) as soulmates destined for tragedy, but their dynamic looks less like love and more like mutual destruction.
Catherine carries her entitlement deep into adulthood. When consulting Nelly about whether to marry Heathcliff or Edgar Linton (Shazard Latif), she snaps: “Why did I ask you? You’ve never loved anyone, and no one’s ever loved you.” The sheer audacity of this girl bewildered me. How can she demand compassion and kindness when she treats people like this?
The single line exposes exactly who Cathrine is: selfish, cruel, and convinced that everyone around her exists solely to orbit her. (Exhibit A: she confidently asserts that she will visit Edgar because everyone becomes infatuated with her.)
It’s infuriating because she clearly loves Heathcliff – just not enough to choose him when it actually matters. Instead, she chooses status, wealth, and security, wrongly believing that money buys happiness and that Heathcliff would only ruin her reputation.
Catherine Learns Too Late That Money Can’t Buy Happiness
In a world where financial status dictated your entire existence, Catherine’s choice makes sense on paper. Being rich in an era when poverty was a death sentence is a powerful incentive for marriage.
When Catherine realizes too late, however, is that wealth and social standing cannot replace the person she actually desired. By the time that realization hits, the damage is home. Her youth is gone, and she is trapped in a cage.
Heathcliff Is Not a Romantic Hero
Jacob Elordi is charismatic and magnetic from the start, but his Heathcliff is manipulative, obsessive, and deeply vindictive. If you approach this story looking for a romance, his actions feel confusing.
When you view it as a revenge tale, everything clicks into place. He doesn’t return to win Catherine back; he returns to make her and everyone else suffer. On that level, his performance works beautifully.
Poor Isabella Deserved So Much Better
Isabella (Alison Oliver) starts off quirky, to put it mildly, but you can’t help but pity her. She falls for Heathcliff, expecting her own passionate love story, only to end up trapped in a loveless, abusive nightmare.
Her storyline provides the clearest evidence of how dangerous Heathcliff truly is. He doesn’t love her, tells her so to her face, and abuses her for his own amusement while still pinning for Catherine.
To make matters worse, Catherine treats Isabella horribly, acting as if Isabella is the villain for falling for the exact man Catherine refused to commit to. Once again, Catherine’s selfishness shines through.
The Production Design Is Absolutely Stunning
Messy characters aside, the film is a visual masterpiece.
The costumes deserve all the praise, especially Catherine’s elaborate post-marriage hair and styling. The ribbon detailing? Perfection. The makeup team nails the “no-makeup makeup” aesthetic, allowing natural skin texture and freckles to shine through.
The score also stands out, adding a haunting emotional weight to every scene. When I saw Charli XCX’s name attached to the trailer, I doubted it – but she proved me completely wrong. It works.
That said, some of the director’s choices are deeply unsettling. Isabella using Catherine’s hair for a doll, and Edgar displaying Catherine’s freckles and veins on the wall, is objectively bizarre.
Young Heathcliff Was Perfectly Cast
The casting for young Heathcliff is spot on. Perhaps I’m biased because I loved Owen Cooper in Adolescence, but he captures the character’s vulnerability and intensity perfectly. He makes it easy to understand why Catherine became so attached to him – which makes his ultimate transformation into a monster even more tragic.
Final Thoughts
I went into Wuthering Heights expecting a romance to root for, but I left feeling deeply unsettled.
The casual cruelty and betrayal are hard to stomach when marketing calls this the “greatest love story.” Instead, it is a brutal exploration of revenge, obsession, and the consequences of choosing pride over genuine human connection.
The adaption is stunning, emotionally savage, and brilliantly twisted. Wuthering Heights is not a great love story, and it’s better for it. It is something much darker, messier, and infinitely more interesting.
Lets Chat!
For those who have seen it: Do you think Emerald Fennell’s adaptation leaned too far into the toxicity, or did she get Catherine and Heathcliff right? Drop your thoughts below!
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