Dir: Andrea Arnold | Scr: Andrea Arnold & Olivia Hetreed | Novel: Emily Brontë | Ph: Robbie Ryan | Prod: Robert Bernstein, Kevin Loader, & Douglas Rae | Ed: Nicolas Chaudeurge | PD: Helen Scott | AD: Christopher Wyatt | Snd: Nicolas Becker | Cast: Kaya Scodelario, James Howson, Shannon Beer, Solomon Glave, Oliver Milburn, Nichola Burley, Lee Shaw, Amy Wren, Steve Evets, Paul Hilton, Simone Jackson
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A kindly Yorkshireman plucks a homeless immigrant from the streets of Liverpool, and takes him to live with his family on his remote moorland farm. However, the boy's childhood, barring the intense friendship that he shares with his benefactor’s daughter, is blighted by mistreatment and suffering, in this intensely sensuous adaptation of Brontë’s novel. Brought to life by Ryan’s poetically naturalistic photography, Arnold’s lyrical film-making is often astonishingly visceral. However, the performances are something of a mixed bag, with at least one blighted by somewhat distracting dubbing, but Beer’s magnetic turn as the young Cathy is quite excellent. Breathtaking but imperfect, then.
