A contributor to LitHub sums up the reviewers' approach to the fact that Emily is not a biopic but a fictionalised account of the life of Emily Brontë:
EmilyBleecker Street, February 17Based on: the life of Emily BrontëIn this irreverent fictionalized biopic, director Frances O’Connor gives Emily Brontë (Emma Mackey) a love life, among other things. “I know there’ll be some people that are pissed off about it,” O’Connor told Total Film. “People like Brontë historians will probably say, ‘Well, that didn’t happen.’” (Reviewers in the UK so far have mostly said “who cares? It’s fun,” and Americans are even less attached to the truth about English historical figures, so I think we’ll probably be fine with it.) (Emily Temple)
And now for some reviews of the film. From 96.5 FM:
The artistry behind the camera helps bring to life the film’s overall message of freedom in thought. The screenplay encourages the expression of a person’s thoughts. This means that old rules, traditions, and laws can be disposed of if they interfere with the person’s pursuit of finding themselves and their own pleasure. Whilst the film does not espouse outright hedonism, the performances of Emma Mackey (Sex Education) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Invisible Man) provide a robust exploration of two people trying to find themselves in a strict, oppressive society. The film trumpets the success of women finding their voices in a strongly patriarchal society. Unfortunately, the film spends far more time exploring Emily Brontë’s life than exploring her writing. Slight hints of her gifts present themselves, but there was more scope for further reading her writings, particularly her poems. Discerning viewers must also be aware that the film has many mature elements, including nudity, sex scenes, and drug use.Emily is a modern take on a period drama that explores the tension between tradition and modern thought. This makes the film accessible to mature audiences who love good scripting and period drama.
Granada Hoy (Spain) gives it 3 stars.
Lo mejor de la película es la dramática fotografía de los áridos paisajes, la música del compositor polaco Abel Korzeniowski -no siempre bien utilizada por la tendencia al exceso en el que a veces la propia partitura incurre- y la intensa interpretación de Emma Mackey, popular gracias a la serie Sex Education. Lo más débil, esas invenciones innecesarias para dar más actualidad transgresora o atractivo dramático a una figura tan extraordinaria que no necesitaba estos retoques. (Carlos Colón) (Translation)
La Razón (Spain) gives it 4 stars out of 5.
En esa práctica del “y si…”, la película cambia varios hechos de la biografía de la malograda escritora, víctima de la tuberculosis cuando solo tenía treinta años, imaginándola como alma mater de su propia novela romántica. Al contrario, por ejemplo, que en “La emperatriz rebelde”, donde ciertos anacronismos formales desplazan a Sissi a la contemporaneidad, O’Connor prefiere que la elegancia torrencial de la puesta en escena sea suficiente para retratar a Emily como una mujer fuera de su época, con su alergia a los protocolos sociales de la Inglaterra rural del XIX y su agreste independencia de criterio como signos de un protofeminismo ahogado por el temor al rechazo y el ostracismo.Perdiendo el aliento en la tensión sexual entre Emily y William, la película logra, no obstante, sus mejores momentos cuando relata su relación con sus hermanos, conflictiva en el caso de Charlotte, cómplice y luego trágica con Branwell, que la inicia en el consumo de opio y compite con ella en aspiraciones literarias (¡qué hermosa es su despedida oculta entre las sábanas tendidas!). Como ocurría en las inspiradas adaptaciones de “Orgullo y prejuicio”, de Joe Wright, y de “Jane Eyre”, de Cary Fukunaga, por poner dos ejemplos afines de películas que desafían su condición de clásicos literarios con un músculo visual plenamente contemporáneo, “Emily” parece liberarse de la rigidez canónica del ‘heritage drama’ en la energía de sus formas, que sacan partido de la excelente, magnética interpretación de Emma Mackay, cuya ruda impertinencia, combinada con una progresiva fuga hacia la locura de amor grabada en su mirada enorme, casi de ‘anime’, sostiene la película con sorprendente autoridad.Lo mejor:Emma Mackay y la propuesta de convertir a Emily Brönte [sic] en la heroína de su propia novela romántica.Lo peor:El tramo final es en exceso precipitado. (Sergi Sámchez) (Translation)
No es cine todo lo que reluce (Spain) and Sin embargo (Mexico) review it too.
Secret Manchester recommends '10 Of The Best Places To Take A Day Trip Near Manchester' and one of them is
9. Hebden BridgeMidway between Manchester and Leeds, Hebden Bridge is the perfect solace for those looking for day trips out with easily accessible quaintness. The Leeds train travelling from Wigan hits local stops on the way, so if you’re anywhere between you can easily get to Hebden Bridge, otherwise getting there from Manchester is simple, and of course you can get there by car. With quaint shops and cafes lining the canal, over which stands the cobbled Hebden Bridge, the town is packed with character, setting the scene for TV programmes such as Happy Valley. The town is also just a stone’s throw away from the Brontës’ childhood home, which is said to have inspired elements of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights house [sic]. (Laura Rogan)
Perhaps inspired by the Aston Martin ad, The New York Sun's poem of the day is Emily Brontë Spellbound.
