Based on the 1891 play by Henrik Ibsen, filmmaker Nia DaCosta (The Marvels and Candyman) adapts this Norwegian story, setting it in 1950's England and incorporating queer elements. Ibsen probably never perceived this as a possibility, but DaCosta makes this a LGBTQ story, underscoring sexist themes as much as anything else. What DaCosta does here is equivalent to what Greta Gerwig did for her adaptation, Little Women (2019), only DaCosta's film is dealing with darker elements. DaCosta's work here is a psychological thriller, so tonally it's different, but, in terms of giving an old work a fresh and modern take, DaCosta is in the same park as Gerwig.
Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok and Creed) stars as Hedda Gabler, a woman who is living in what could be considered a twisted Jane Austen-like tale. If one remembers HBO's Big Little Lies (2017), this is like a post-World War II, British version of that. The setting feels like something out of Downton Abbey (2011). She's a woman who is smart, brilliant and sharp, but, given her time-period and race, she can't have a career of her own. She instead decided to marry a man who has ambitions that have pushed him to buy a Downton Abbey-like estate. She appears to like the luxurious lifestyle but there might be a part of her that wants something else.
Nina Hoss (Tár and Homeland) co-stars as Eileen Lovborg, an older woman who isn't married. She's friends with Hedda and possibly more. She's the one who opens the door to the idea that Hedda might want a different life. Eileen is a writer who is trying to get a professional job at a nearby university. She thinks that she's hampered due to her gender, which is likely the case. To overcome that, she believes that she has to be so smart, so brilliant, and so sharp that her intellectual abilities can't be denied. To help with her job application, she's written a book that's supposed to be this incredible work that will get her the job. She simply has to get the book out, either published or delivered to the people at the university who can hire her.
The film takes place all in one night. It's the night of a lavish party that Hedda and her husband are throwing. People from the university are attending. Eileen learns about this, so she decides to show up at the party, hoping to impress the university faculty and possibly deliver her manuscript to them, which she's sure will get her the position. A lot of the dramatic tension centers on whether she'll get the job or not.
Tom Bateman (Murder on the Orient Express and B&B) also co-stars as George Tesman, the husband to Hedda. When it comes to that aforementioned, dramatic tension, George contributes to that tension because he's vying for the same job as Eileen. He also wants the professional gig at the university. He and Hedda set up the party, so that George can impress that same faculty. Therefore, it becomes a competition between George and Eileen.
Competing for the job isn't the only competition between George and Eileen. It's revealed rather early on that Hedda is either bisexual or fluid because she has affections for both George and Eileen. Hedda is bold enough that she doesn't really hide it. She certainly doesn't hide it all that much over the course of the night. She easily and effervescently bounces back-and-forth between the two of them. On the surface, it seems as if she's actively pursuing Eileen with the presumption that Eileen is the true love of her life. However, the film does a good job of showing that she loves her husband too.
Imogen Poots (Green Room and 28 Weeks Later) gives an incredible performance as Thea Clifton, a woman that wants to leave her husband and be with Eileen. This incurs the wrath of Hedda. Some of the thrills come from Hedda's attempts to interfere with the relationship between Thea and Eileen. There's a lot of innuendo and manipulations that are witty and clever, although Poots plays a woman who seems easily manipulated. Yet, she's an aspiring writer. She in fact helped Eileen with some of her writing but isn't getting any of the glory.
Nicholas Pinnock (Long Bright River and For Life) plays Roland Brack, a judge who could be another of Hedda's paramours. He seems like a kind of counterbalance. He evolves into someone more lecherous, and I'm not sure his presence was necessary or all that well utilized. His character is integral to the film's ending, but I wasn't that impressed with him anytime before that.
Rated R for language, drug use, sexual content and brief nudity.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 48 mins.
Available on Amazon Prime.