For a film about a literary legend, Emily spends a somewhat dissatisfying amount of time on the creative process. Emily Brontë doesn’t have to be defined by her writing prowess, but it does often feel sidelined by Frances O’Connor’s (Madame Bovary, The Missing) screenplay. The life experiences that are sketched onscreen and, in O’Connor’s view, influenced Emily’s writing – namely her only novel, the famous Wuthering Heights – feel loosely connected, with a late montage reflecting what the film wants to say but also highlighting what it has been lacking. Never as eloquent as the titular Brontë’s prose, Emily remains both largely watchable and often invigorating, thanks to a sublime performance from Emma Mackey (Eiffel) and a playful nature.
In fairness to O’Connor, who is also making her feature film directorial debut, she makes no claim that Emily is a fully authentic account of the second youngest Brontë sibling’s life. Whilst this will irk fans of the novelist and poet, it gives O’Connor a freedom to create, which in turn adds an unpredictability to her film. Focussing on Emily’s formative years directly before she wrote Wuthering Heights, Emily vividly renders the people and world around her. Nanu Segal’s (The Bike Thief) cinematography exquisitely draws inspiration from the Haworth landscape, mirroring the influence which this Yorkshire surrounding undoubtedly had on Emily. The best moments in the film are when she finds stimulation in the landscape: in the birdsong, the breeze, or the silhouettes of bare trees. Emily works best in these quieter shifts and undulations, when it moves from fanciful fun to delicate reflection.
Jarring tonal shifts threaten to derail this lively adventure, and there is a surrealist, experimental twang that doesn’t always sit harmoniously with the more serious emotions. O’Connor’s bravery in making these bold swings is commendable though, and her adoration for Emily Brontë can never be doubted. This confidence doesn’t always translate to other parts of Emily, with a half-cooked romance doing little to add the desired amount of love or lust, especially when Emily’s relationship with William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, The Invisible Man) is one of almost complete fiction.
However, the portrayal of Emily’s relationship with her older brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead, Dunkirk) is mesmerising. A man with a reckless nature, hidden pain, and addiction problems, Branwell’s closeness to all three Brontë sisters adds some much-needed weight and sombreness to proceedings. Whitehead is as endearing and charming as he is ill-fated. Similarly, Mackey shows an impressive range, shifting from rebellious to despairing to invigorated throughout Emily’s 130-minute runtime. Already a star from Sex Education (2019-2021), Mackey reenforces her status as a mesmerising, scene-stealing presence before her 2023 role in Barbie.
Whilst authenticity is never key to Emily, O’Connor’s film remains a light, fanciful, sometimes moody watch. Its slightness, whilst ensuring it breezes by, causes Emily to feel fleeting; it is invigorating in delivery but featherlike in depth. If you are seeking out an authentic biopic about a woman who wrote a classic piece of English literature, you won’t find it here. If you can move past this, you’ll find an endearing and often beautiful Yorkshire-set drama-cum-romance bolstered by terrific performances.
DIRECTOR: Frances O’Connor
STARS: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead
RUNTIME: 130 minutes
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
Film Rating: 
