Any bibliophile knows the book Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. The only novel by the young author transports readers through a revenge story that still captivates readers to this day. But the life of Emily Bronte isn’t as well known as her novel which is often found on classic literature reading lists. There’s some documentation of her life, but a lot of what happened to her, and what her inspiration for the novel is still up for debate.
But, the new film from Bleecker Street, Emily is taking on her story, and putting together a dark drama of what just may have happened to the author. From the loss of a parent, being unappreciated and talked down to, a lost love and constantly being told she’s a disappointment, Emily dives deep into several things that no doubt inspired her work of fiction but helped shaped her day-to-day life.
The movie picks up somewhat in the middle of her story, showing how she was always creative but was often stifled. It shows how her voice was always dismissed, and while common at the time, it seems because she didn’t fit the ideal mold like her sister, she was considered worthless. With a bit of a dark sense of humor, a desire to be loved and treated well – Emily highlights not only her struggles but those of any women of the time period who may not be the perfect daughter or wife.
What’s striking about Emily is the tragedies that continued to haunt the young woman, who just didn’t seem to fit her time period well, and seemed to shape every word into her only known novel. The movie is a bit slow at times and does take its own time weaving its version of Ms. Bronte’s life, but fans of her book or historical dramas won’t have an issue with this as they watch the movie. Instead, the movie focuses on what a tragic and short life she had, and how it cut short the career of a great writer.
Bleecker Street will be releasing EMILY nationwide on Friday, February 24th. Be sure to check out Emily in a theater near you.
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About Emily:
EMILY imagines Emily Brontë’s own Gothic story that inspired her seminal novel, “Wuthering Heights.” Haunted by the death of her mother, Emily struggles within the confines of her family life and yearns for artistic and personal freedom, and so begins a journey to channel her creative potential into one of the greatest novels of all time.
