“Emily” imagines Emily Brontë’s own Gothic story that inspired her seminal novel, ‘Wuthering Heights.’ Haunted by her mother’s death, 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.
Emily is a 2022 British biographical drama film written and directed by Frances O’Connor in her directorial debut. It is a part-fictional portrait of English writer Emily Brontë (played by Emma Mackey), concentrating on a fictional romantic relationship with the young curate William Weightman. Fionn Whitehead, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Alexandra Dowling, Amelia Gething, Adrian Dunbar and Gemma Jones also appear in supporting roles.
Emily had its world premiere in the Platform Prize lineup at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2022. The film premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival before being theatrically released in the United Kingdom by Warner Bros. Pictures on 14 October 2022.
About the Story
As Emily Brontë is ill and near death, her older sister Charlotte asks her what inspired her to write her novel Wuthering Heights. Sometime in the past Charlotte, nearly graduated from school, returns home for a visit. Emily tries to talk to her about the fictional worlds she has been creating while Charlotte was at school, but Charlotte tries to dissuade her from these juvenile activities.
At the same time William Weightman, a new curate, arrives. While her sisters and several other young women seem enamoured of the young man, Emily is dismissive of him. While visiting the Brontë home, Weightman partakes in a game the Brontës have invented where they take turns donning a mask and impersonating a character, with the other members guessing who the character is. When it is Emily’s turn, she claims to be possessed by the ghost of their deceased mother; a strong wind bursts open the windows. Charlotte, Anne and Branwell become distressed, while Weightman is disturbed by the scene. The mask is buried in the ground.
Emily goes with Charlotte to her school to learn to be a teacher, while her brother Branwell goes to study at the Royal Academy of Arts. Both Emily and Branwell return shortly after as failures, Branwell proclaiming he is now more interested in writing and Emily at a loss for what to do.
Emily’s father engages Weightman to teach Emily French, which he does, while arguing religious philosophy with her. Branwell encourages Emily to drink and play, and Emily uses some opium she finds in a desk, and has “Freedom in thought” tattooed on her arm like Branwell has; their favourite pastime involves staring in the window of a local family and scaring them at night. They are eventually caught, but when Emily denies her involvement, Branwell is sent to work for the family as a tutor as punishment. Branwell is caught kissing the mistress of the house and is sent elsewhere in disgrace.
Emily (2023)
Directed by: Frances O’Connor
Starring: Emma Mackey, Fionn Whitehead, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Alexandra Dowling Amelia Gething, Adrian Dunbar, Gemma Jones, Veronica Roberts, Gerald Lepkowski, Sacha Parkinson
Screenplay by: Frances O’Connor
Production Design by: Steve Summersgill
Cinematography by: Nanu Segal
Film Editing by: Sam Sneade
Costume Design by: Michael O’Connor
Set Decoration by: Cathy Featherstone
Art Direction by: Jono Moles
Music by: Abel Korzeniowski
MPAA Rating: R for some sexuality/nudity and drug use.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures, Bleecker Street Media
Release Date: September 9, 2022 (TIFF), October 14, 2022 (United Kingdom), February 17, 2023 (United States)
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