In My Feelings - "Wuthering Heights" Edition

This film affected me so much that you just know I had to get In My Feelings about it.

From the top there will be spoiler alerts for people that have not seen the aforementioned 2026 film. I would recommend giving it a watch before reading this if you don’t want to find out some of the elements of the film.

So, I went into watching this film blind. I knew the novel existed and of course the song by Kate Bush but didn’t know any specifics of what was about to unfold before my eyes.

Also, I know this film has been decisive in opinion of those that are diehard fans of the novel, as it only covers approximately half of the novel. Also, I believe the film is shown from a different viewpoint and narration than the novel. However, these are my views and opinions based on the film with little to no knowledge of the novel. A little side note, I enjoyed the film so much that I have now purchased the novel and aim to start reading it in the coming days. Who knows, there might be a follow up IMF edition on the novel…

Upon finishing the film, having bawled my eyes out for approximately 100 of the 136 minutes, I felt such grief and loss. I didn’t know what to do with myself, it was as if I was a part of their love story. 

The opening scene. I think I, among many, had my mind in the gutter based on the noises alone. It quickly transpired I was not correct, far from it. I wonder if that was intentional on the part of the writer and director Emerald Fennell. I have seen a few articles proclaiming the film to be a smut fest so wonder if this was a bit of misdirection on her part. Being as the revealed public hanging of a man was quite horrific and grotesque. I think this misdirection or juxtaposition carries on through the film as their love is undeniably real and intoxicating but destructive and hurtful at times. Beautiful yet tragic.

Their timeline was tumultuous from childhood. The fact that Heathcliff became part of the household as Cathy’s ‘pet’ set an off-balance power dynamic for things to come. Also, that he couldn’t speak and she named him after her dead brother! Like girl, could no other name spring to mind?! It was clear, after he took a beating from Earnshaw that he loved Cathy and would protect her at all costs to himself. I believe that she did love him back even then. 

Moving onto them grown up Cathy starts to see Heathcliff in a different light. You can feel the intensity of their love and desire building. 

Bound by circumstance they could not be together, and Cathy accepts a proposal from Mr Linton. You can tell in the parlour scene she is waiting for Nelly to tell her she’s making a mistake. One of the cruellest moments in the film, in my opinion, is when Heathcliff hears the snippet of conversation from behind the door. No wonder the poor guy took off! The next day Cathy realises she made the wrong choice but it’s too late, Heathcliff is gone. The way she makes Mr Linton wait for a whole year before marrying shows that she was just waiting for Heathcliff to return and never believed he wouldn’t. 

Eventually marrying Mr Linton and trying to go about her life, Heathcliff is always on her mind. The literal rose coloured glasses she wears at Thrushcross Grange, her new home, was such an epic physical representation of her false and forced optimism for her new life. 

Heathcliff was on her mind every second of every day. You can observe the distraction it causes and how she appears on the outside of the shared experiences with her new family. The hands of Mr Linton covering her eyes and mouth in that scene show how she is trying to reenact past experiences with Heathcliff and feel closer to him.

When Cathy sits on her bed and the eggs cracked, I immediately knew what that meant and proceeded to sob at the mere thought that Heathcliff had returned. Every part of me wanted him to and for them to run away together and live happily ever after. For them to forsake all others, come hell or high water, to have their chance. 

He did return but this film sadly does not have a happy ending. So, I don’t, on a moral level, agree with affairs. I bore witness first hand at how this can tear a family apart and destroy life as you knew it. However, this is Cathy and Heathcliff!! Their love transcends reason; their souls belong to each other. They start an affair, with every passing moment I’m on the edge of my seat, waiting for Cathy to leave her husband. It’s not that simple being with child. 

A very brief overview of what comes next. Cathy breaks things off with Heathcliff but doesn’t really mean it. Nelly keeps her in her room apart from him. She gets sick. Heathcliff writes to her, but her letters are intercepted by Nelly and burned. He wonders why she won’t answer him. Cathy gets sepsis and nobody realises until it’s too late. This is itself almost broke me. The fact that she was so heartbroken and in so much emotional pain she didn’t realise she was dying. The heartbreak hurt so much more than the physical symptoms of sepsis. I am an empath through and through and it’s like I embodied a mild version of her pain in that moment. 

Also, when she saw Heathcliff at the end and it turned out to be Mr Linton I was devastated. She saw what she wanted to see in that moment. Did her husband play along? Did he realise what was going on? I believe he was a good person so it could be feasible that he did play along. Further evidence of this could be drawn from when Heathcliff arrives at Cathy too late and Mr Linton greets him with an apology rather than anger. They both lost the woman that they loved. They had that in common and could share in their grief. 

Heathcliff, even seeing Cathy on the bed, could not come to terms with the fact she was gone. How could you though? How could you cope with knowing you would never see the person you so fiercely and wholly loved again? These are all questions I asked the universe when I felt this grief for him. 

I identify as a hopeless romantic and the fact that they never got a chance to really be together is such a travesty. Their overwhelming yearning for each other was slowing eroding my spirit. I know I can’t comprehend the intricacies of living in that time period and their social obligations, but I feel like if I was Cathy, I would have chosen Heathcliff from the start. Even if it meant we were damned, poor and outcast. Their love for each other would have sustained them through every hardship. Maybe this is just my rose-coloured glasses talking. 

Since the film I’ve seen a lot of mentions online about colour theory for the characters which fascinated me. The fact that Cathy was mostly dressed in red to symbolise passion and love. Also, that once she had walked through the pig blood, she was marked for death and the red on her skirt gets more prominent. The green colour scheme for Mr Linton’s room, signifying greed and jealously. 

The set designs, which were stunning and a little wacky. Apparently designed to make the viewer feel uncomfortable. The fireplace with the hands all over it, also on the maid’s uniform. Potentially symbolic of being trapped or that you are there for everyone’s pleasure, literal hands all over you. Like a real-life doll in a dolls house. The singular red floor tile in the parlour, and then eventually an entirely red floor, more foreshadowing.

All of this to say I loved this film. For all that it is. It’s a masterpiece. I feel like it can be enjoyed on a level that suits everyone. And if you look for deeper meaning like me, you can find that here too. If you are an empath and have had your heart broken by this film, I feel your pain and live in this unjust space with you. 

A couple of final side notes to round out. The wind was the best unpaid actor on this film. The way it moved the veils Cathy wore was stunning and added so much drama.

The costumes, just stunning. No more words needed. 

The music within the film transports it to another ethereal level in my opinion. I’m not normally someone who listens to Charli XCX. No shade to her it’s just not my everyday cup of tea. I was blown away by the soundtrack and that she wrote an entire album for or about this film. The music adds to the unresolved, uncomfortable and haunting nature of the film perfectly. Just obsessed. 

This was just me In My Feelings. I hope this could resonate with you in some way and thank you for reading.