Jane Austen would be proud of 2020's“Emma.”
We have a new filmmaker on our hands! Her name is Autumn De Wilde and her feature directorial debut is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma. It is quite the feature to start with. She started off her film career directing music videos for well-known indie bands like Beck, Florence and the Machine, and Jenny Lewis. Finally, she got her chance in the cinematic spotlight to direct Emma. After seeing this, it feels like she’s been doing this for years.
Positives
I can not believe this is De Wilde’s first feature. In terms of the technical side of things, this film is a near masterpiece. It’s clear De Wilde has SUCH a love for not only Jane Austen’s novel, but the romantic era in general. Almost every shot in this film is perfect; there’s always something in each shot to catch your eyes. Whether it’d be something in the landscape (those scenes in the garden…you gotta give my eyes a BREAK), the symmetrical element of the shots, or shots that are so artistically pleasing that they look just like a painting. There are shots in this film worthy of hanging up in The Louvre. De Wilde has a very clear future ahead of her if she makes her films look like this.
The music too! Right after I saw the film I immediately found the soundtrack on Spotify and listened to it on the way back home. The music is absolutely wonderful! It’s the best tribute to music from the romantic period I can think of! It fits the film perfectly and it sounds like it was pulled from the romantic period and I was shocked to find out it wasn’t actual pieces from the time period. Composer Isobel Waller-Bridge goes all out for this music, creating her own opera pieces, her own piano concertos, and even her own symphonies. It’s some of the most beautiful movie music I’ve heard in the past few years and I want to buy the vinyl (if there will ever be a vinyl).
The performances are, for the most part, very good as well! Anya Taylor Joy is front and center here. She commands her presence and makes this character her own. She makes her character fierce; she’s ferocious, strong, and overall independent. It’s clear Joy had a plan on how to perform her character and it paid off. But as much as I loved Joy in this film, Mia Goth was my absolute favorite performance here. Where to begin with her? She’s kind, she’s funny, she’s adorable, she’s the beating heart of this film. Goth has such an energy and passion throughout this film. She is an absolute force and I want to see her take more roles like this. This is going to be in the top 10, or even top 5 performances of the year, mark my words!
The Negatives
I mentioned how Autumn De Wilde had such a clear passion for this story and time period, she very clearly did as much as she could to add a lot of heart to this film. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the screenplay. It’s not a “bad” screenplay by any means, it just lacks heart compared to what De Wilde brought to the table with her directing. Where De Wilde would give us an amazing tribute to the romantic period and direct amazing performances from Joy and Goth, the screenplay just plays off like a by the numbers period piece with occasional comedy thrown in. Unfortunately, the film relies very heavily on the dialogue, and the comedy is pretty hit or miss. I’m afraid people are going to find this film to be pretty forgettable because of that screenplay. It’s pretty inconsistent in terms of tone as well. As much as I can praise what De Wilde did behind the camera and what these actresses did in front of it, I have to admit that there were a select few scenes that genuinely bored me, and I think the screenplay is to blame. Don’t get me wrong! When it picked up, it picked UP…but it was pretty inconsistent.
Johnny Flynn, who plays George Knightley, was very bland. He didn’t bring much to his character, there was nothing really interesting about him, and Flynn’s performance was just wooden. He’s pretty monotone throughout the whole thing, and that’s a shame too, because he’s in this film quite often.
The Representation
Emma is greatly woke — for white women. The representation of women is front and center. First off, Autumn De Wilde, as I’ve been praising, is going to be in the list of great women directors as time goes by. This is her show, and her love and passion shines through in almost every frame. Not only that, the behind the scenes crew is, to my knowledge, mostly female. They did an impeccable job crafting the feel of the romantic period, the costumes, and the artistic look of the film. These characters as well! Emma is a very strong, independent character who is (in a good way) stubborn, she does what SHE wants to do and what SHE feels is right and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her decisions. Harriet, like I mentioned before, was my favorite character/performance. She’s everything I love in a character like this. She’s unbelievably charming, adorable, and kind to everyone. She also knows when to put her foot down when she needs to. She’s not afraid to express how she feels, and she knows how to stand up for herself.
Conclusion
Despite a mediocre screenplay and a stale performance from one of its lead characters, Emma is a great tribute to the world Jane Austen created, and Autumn De Wilde created a great adaptation. This is her first film, and she made one of the most artistically pleasing period pieces I’ve seen in years. If her films continue on that artistic streak, then we will have a new master on our hands. Please support Emma.
