As the titular Emma, Anya Taylor-Joy never utters “Ugh, as if!,” the famous words of her modern counterpart Cher Horowitz in the Clueless adaptation. But she exudes them in every judgmental side-eye and snarky eyebrow arch. Love or loathe this spoiled heroine, director Autumn de Wilde’s take on this Jane Austen tale is, in a word, delectable.
Making her directorial debut, de Wilde is the fourth filmmaker to adapt Austen’s tale of Emma Woodhouse — described as “handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and a happy disposition” — on the big screen. A period film set in the Georgian-era of England, the story follows her meddling matchmaking schemes in the lives of her friends and family.
A medley of pastels — spring green, pale pink, off-white — are punctuated with bold yellow, strawberry red and burnt orange. Emma. is gorgeously-shot and costumed and, uh, very horny — but in a suppressed way, because this is England in the early 1800s. (Not too suppressed though, there’s a shot of Emma warming her exposed bum by a fireplace and when we first meet another character, he’s completely naked. Rest assured: Butts abound!)
Considering its highly stylized aesthetics, the punctuated title (Emma.) feels apt. Let me give a big shout out to the dreamy, but sophisticated, typeface placed throughout the film to designate the passing seasons. Some filmgoers might find this all too twee, like eating one too many macarons, but it mostly adds a layer of quirky allure a la Wes Anderson.
Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the titular role of Emma. She embodies all her aforementioned traits, bringing nuance to her role as the richest woman in Highbury. Though not a queen, she may as well be with the way others in the town dote on her. She lives with her hypochondriac father, played by Bill Nighy, who often speaks of feeling non-existent drafts and, despite only speaking a few lines of dialogue, brings several laughs.
Leaning into Austen’s sarcastic bite, the hierarchy of class is built into each of the film’s frames. The snobbish and manipulative 20-year-old Emma is aware of her high social standing, but perhaps not the implication it has on others. Despite her scrutinizing there’s much she misses, mostly regarding the reality her behavior imposes on others. In one particularly heart-wrenching scene involving the chatty but nervous Miss Bates (Miranda Hunt), this disregard rises to the surface, leading to Emma’s ultimate character arc.
Because this is Austen, there’s much romance to be had, particularly in the form of love triangles. Enter next-door-neighbor George Knightley (Johnny Flynn). He’s critical of Emma’s meddlesome nature, and perhaps the only person to truly put her in her place. And though they quarrel, their chemistry, stoked throughout the film’s course via longing glances, heated exchanges and lingering touches, feels tangible.
Then there’s the rascally Frank Churchill, played with slicked-back charm by Callum Turner, who catches Emma’s interest when he first arrives in town. That’s not so much the case with priest Mr. Elton, a gawking, befuddling man who Emma mistakenly believes is in love with her close friend, Harriet (Mia Goth), who resides at a nearby boarding house. His interactions with Emma encroach on — as I said earlier — “Ugh, as if!” territory. Later in the film, we’re introduced to Mr. Elton’s newly-wed wife, played by a delightfully obnoxious Tanya Reynolds. You may recognize her from the hit Netflix show Sex Education, and she’s joined in this film by one of her castmates, Connor Swindells, who plays an affable love interest to Harriet.
The relationship that truly stands out in this adaptation, however, is between Emma and Harriet. As they walk through the breezy countryside and gush over various matters of life and love, Emma. builds a friendship born first out of the former’s misguided attempt to play matchmaker and molds it into a genuine bond.
Emma. doesn’t stray too far from its source material, often using direct lines from the 1815 novel. Though I prefer Clueless, perhaps for nostalgic reasons, this fresh, colorful and faithful adaptation stands on its own as a kind of pleasant watch one might revisit on a rainy day. (Opens March 6)
This article appears in Mar 4-17, 2020.
