Director
Autumn de Wilde

Starring
Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Johnny Flynn and Bill Nighy

In the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the titular role of a beautiful, privileged, self-declared matchmaker in 19^th century England. Emma Woodhouse believes herself to be adept at noticing the attraction between two people and facilitating their unions; however, her skills might not be as good as she believes. Emma often finds herself with the wrong idea of a person’s affection which leads to a number of misunderstandings and ensuing drama. In typical Austen fashion, Emma is full of awkward courtships, love and subtle hilarity, brought to life by a solid cast and a debutant director.

Taylor-Joy nails the sweet naivety of Woodhouse but it’s the supporting cast and characters that make this story a delight to behold. Bill Nighy as Emma’s father is at his brilliant best and makes every scene a winner. In a way that only Nighy knows how, he can conjure eruptive laughter with simply a look or a huff, but it’s his characters obsessive preoccupation with a cool draught in the house that keeps the chuckles coming. Miranda Hart as the delightfully dull Miss Bates, who finds the most banal elements in the lives of others to be fascinating fodder for conversation, is in her element. The eccentricity but kind heartedness of Bates is endearing and heart-warming. There are a lot of familiar faces strewn throughout the film. Fans of the Netflix TV show Sex Education will recognize the work of Connor Swindells and Tanya Reynolds, with the latter playing the marvelously arrogant, nouveau-riche wife of the local Vicar.

This is the second direct film adaptation of the novel, and not having seen the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow led version, this was a fresh story for myself, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. This isn’t a film that smacks you in the face with obvious humour, but there is a sense of warmth and good fun to it all. Fans of Austen will be happy with the execution I’m sure, and those unfamiliar with her work can be introduced to it in a vibrant new way. All in all, a lovely way to spend a couple of hours at the cinema.

3.5 Stars

Trailer
EMMA

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