Before reading this… You may want to watch the movie first. Just don’t make the mistake I did and forget tissues. Walking into the movie theater, I did not know what to expect and had no prior knowledge (except that Jacob Elordi was in it). I was definitely not expecting to leave the theater crying like a baby. Watching this movie almost a week ago, I can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but something about it stayed with me for days.Â
The adaptation of Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, totally reimagines Emily Brontë’s classic gothic novel as an emotional roller coaster of obsession and a love that refuses to change. Margot Robbie plays Catherine Earnshaw, while Jacob Elordi plays Heathcliff, which is arguably literature’s original toxic situationship. Personally, I think these two were perfect for the role. Casting Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi was a genius move. Their chemistry was intense, sometimes uncomfortable, which perfectly reflects the theme of obsessive love. There is a lot of controversy about the casting, but there are so many different adaptations to the novel already that I really liked what they did with the movie.Â
What I think makes the adaptation interesting is that it doesn’t try to modernize the story with modern technology and language, but it modernizes the emotion. Director Emerald Fennel said she wanted the movie to recreate the feeling of a teenage girl reading the novel for the first time, and I think it did just that. The movie leads into the intensity rather than trying to tone it down. I loved the themes of loving people who hurt you, chasing feelings instead of logic and realizing passion and happiness aren’t always the same thing. Maybe it’s just my age, but this really resonated with me.Â
What really sealed the deal on this movie being for me is the soundtrack. Charli XCX and a good move?? You can’t get much better than that. My favorite is definitely “Chains of Love,” which should not have been so fitting as it was. I love that Charli created something out of her normal music taste, and it worked so perfectly. What a crossover, gothic literature meets Brat summer. The whole album captures the feeling of loving someone you probably shouldn’t, which fits the entire plot of the movie so well.Â
Now, is this the most accurate adaptation of the novel? Probably not. But it might be the most interesting one for our generation. Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, and Charli XCX’s haunting soundtrack makes the movie feel like a gothic romance with a touch of modern pop culture. It’s messy and dramatic, but it’s the perfect love story that we college girls might be able to relate to a little too much.