Something Ungodly: Emily (2022) Changing Herstory

Frances O'Connor's beautifully gothic masterwork Emily (2022) starring Emma Mackey as the lead, offers a fictionalized perspective on Emily Brontë’s life, inviting viewers into a world colored by passion, intensity, and forbidden romance. The story centers around her relationship with her sisters, Charlotte and Anne, and her deep and complex relationship with her brother Branwell. Emily's romantic connection with a young pastor, William Weightman, becomes a central theme to the film’s portrayal of her creative awakening. The stunning Yorkshire landscapes, haunting score, and Emma Mackey’s intense performance bring a sense of both freedom and confinement.

The film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s life is a reimagined version, blending fact and fiction in ways that prompt both admiration and critique. While the film paints a compelling narrative, a closer look at her life reminds us that the real Emily Brontë differs in some ways from the romanticized character on the screen. 

Emily Brontë lived her life almost entirely devoid of romantic relationships, away from public life. What is known about her is directly taken from her sister Charlotte Brontë's writings, and she is described as a shy and homesick woman who did not like talking to people other than her family and animals— yet she possessed a brilliant, boundless imagination that would give rise to one of literature’s most complex works. It is remarkable to learn that someone so distant from social circles could write a novel as tumultuous as Wuthering Heights, a novel that delves into complex relationships, how reasons beyond their control define humans, and most importantly: the cycle of abuse. Emily Brontë was a mastermind with marvelous talent—a talent that transcended her own quiet existence and echoed through generations.

Charlotte Bronte wrote, "My sister loves the moors. The moors were full of flowers more colorful than roses, and the dark valleys were like heaven on earth in her mind. In this desolate solitude, many delights were precious. But what struck her straight to the depths of her heart, what she loved most, was freedom."

For those captivated by the Brontës, me being one of them, there’s a particular frustration in watching Emily depicted as though she could only write Wuthering Heights after her illicit affair with a village pastor even though she, in her short life span, never had any romantic relationship. There's a certain pattern of behavior in media, which underestimates the scope of women’s imaginations as if they don't have the capacity to reach beyond unless they’re experienced firsthand. It is as if we, as a society, can’t fathom that a woman could imagine such raw, complex worlds without directly lifting from her own life.

This misrepresentation of female writers has deep roots in cultural biases. For centuries, narratives have been constructed around the idea that male writers can draw on vast realms of imagination, genius, or even “divine inspiration or madness” as Plato suggests, while women’s creativity is often reduced to their domestic or romantic lives. In their portrayals, there’s a tendency to give credit to men who might have inspired their work instead of the mind behind the creation. Just as male writers are acknowledged for the depth of their perceptions and abstractions, Emily deserved recognition for her ability to observe human nature from afar, and to shape those observations into a haunting and chaotic universe.

However, the movie does capture the essence of Wuthering Heights—its intensity, dark atmosphere, and wild relationships—in a way that resonates with Brontë’s vision, even if it takes liberties with the specifics of her life. The success of Emily (2022) lies in gothic undertones, evoking the spirit of Brontë’s narrative universe rather than presenting a strictly factual biography. It is more of a tribute to her imagination, mirroring her storytelling style, and it does feel like something Emily might've written.

The movie takes a huge risk by fictionalizing the writer's life, but it is clear from the director to the acting crew, that it is in good faith. Emma Mackey gives a performance of a lifetime with her portrayal of Emily, a shy and awkward woman who loves dark alleys and finds freedom in solitude, which aligns with the description of her by Charlotte. Oliver Jackson-Cohen’s portrayal of the (hot) pastor, something Flebag fans might be into, adds tension to Emily's fictional romance. His character brings a kind of tortured allure that just feels fitting in the Brontë universe, almost like a parallel to Heathcliff's dark and magnetic persona. ''I think there's something ungodly in you.'' he says to Emily, in one scene. The chemistry between him and Emma Mackey’s Emily is a mix of desire and restraint that characterizes gothic romance.

Emily (2022) changes herstory by paying homage to Emily Brontë's literary spirit, creating a version of her that might feel favorable to those who love her work—even if it's not an accurate reflection of her life.