#TIFF22: “EMILY”

By Amanda Gilmore

Writer-Director Frances O’Connor’s Feature Debut mixes fact and speculation to give us an atmospheric portrait of Wuthering Heights Author Emily Brontë (Emma Mackey).

At the heart of Emily is a story of a girl on her journey toward self-actualization. The overt sexism and patriarchy which was prevalent in 19th-century England caused many upheavals for Emily. She was a young woman whose imagination ran wondrously wild and free. O’Connor reminds us of the restraints put on women at this time. How they should be teachers, rather than follow their creative endeavours. She does this through the demands and comments made by her Father and sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling).

There was one sibling, her brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead), who encourages her to be creative. Branwell was considered the black sheep because of his wild behaviour and desire to become a writer. The way Emily is treated by those in their family and the townspeople, who call her “the strange one”, thrusts the two closer together. This relationship is tangible on the screen thanks to the strong chemistry between Mackey and Whitehead. Whitehead shines in showing Branwell burying his insecurities in alcohol and opium.

O’Connor doesn’t shy away from exposing Emily’s flaws. This aids the story, giving a well-rounded view of a woman who was bold enough to live her truth. Mackey is the perfect choice to bring the provocative, brilliant author to the screen. She revels in Emily’s free spirit and indifference to social niceties. Whether she’s telling stories to herself in a wild, open English field or on an opium trip with her brother, Mackey fully embodies the daring author on her journey toward self-actualization.

Just like any coming-of-age tale, Emily depicts the subject’s first love with her French tutor, Mr Weightman (Olivier Jackson-Cohen). It’s also this relationship that becomes closely tied to Emily’s writing. In showing this, O’Connor connects creativity with passion. Mackey stuns in Emily’s heartbreak and grief when this relationship does come to an end. She gives a performance that’s so piercingly authentic it penetrates the soul.

Emily screensat TIFF ’22 as follows:

Fri, Sep 9 IN-PERSON at Royal Alexandra Theatre at 8:30 pm

Sun, Sep 11 IN-PERSON at Scotiabank Theatre at 12:20 pm