By the End, You’ll Have ‘Hedda’ ‘Nuff of This

Handguns, high society and hot hankerings — these are the forces at play in Nia DaCosta’s “Hedda,” a sultry retelling of Henrik Ibsen’s 1891 play “Hedda Gabler.”

Like numerous iterations of this classic, the film — released in select theaters Oct. 22 and on Prime Video Oct. 29 — features a powerhouse anti-heroine whose immoderate taste and manipulative mind games are her resistance to stifling newlywed life. 

Unlike Ibsen’s protagonist, whose one-sided marriage to a docile academic is set in the context of late 19th century Norway, this Hedda’s identity is informed by the cultural issues of 1950s England. 

Scholars and socialites of varying social proclivities gather as Hedda (Tessa Thompson) and George Tesman (Tom Bateman) host their first party as a married couple in a posh country estate far beyond their financial means. As George panders to fellow academics in pursuit of a promotion to fund his wife’s spending habits, Hedda stokes drama by inviting her ex-lover Eileen Lovborg (Nina Hoss), who happens to be up for the same position as George.

Turning Ibsen’s Eljert to an Eileen, writer and director DaCosta (“The Marvels,” “Candyman”) makes a queer revision that raises the social stakes of Hedda’s erotic advances toward the scholar.

Despite mounting troubles facing the main characters throughout the night, something about Hedda’s puppetry fails to properly provoke controversy. And despite a pulse-raising score by Hildur Guðnadóttir, picturesque cinematography by Sean Bobbitt and convincing performances up and down the cast list, something about “Hedda” fails to arouse interest.

Even as Eileen’s current flame and runaway housewife Thea Clifton (Imogen Poots) shows up distraught in search of the classicist, reactions of the English elites are largely obscured from the visions of partygoers and audience members alike. The tension, flirtatious advances and manipulative measures stirred among guests isn’t palpable enough to invest in.

While Thompson (“Creed,” “Thor: Ragnarok”) delivers a cleverly charismatic performance, her Hedda wears her heart a little too obviously on her sleeve — or rather, on her chest in the form of a gun cabinet key necklace — to inspire the same divisive discourse the enigmatic anti-hero has received in the past.

Hedda’s identities as a biracial and closeted queer woman within conservative mid-20th century England clearly suffocate her further in the life she reluctantly married into. Despite this insightful recontextualization and recharacterization of a repressed character, the film fails to carve enough depth into the new society’s modes of pressure and expectation enforcement.

Major conflicts breeze by without inspiring much change in the party’s rambunctious heartbeat, making the night pass by exhaustively. By the time audiences reach the film’s climax, it doesn’t feel like there’s much on the table to be invested in.

Perhaps Hedda best fits in the theatrical contexts she originated in. It’s certainly clear the story was first a play — its lavish singular location and dialogue-heavy script losing their glamor over the 107 minute runtime.

Loading its gun with a strong cast, talented director and stunning visuals, “Hedda” fires a blank as tensions unravel faster than they can wind up, missing the target for a fresh exploration of class, sexuality and vice. 

“Hedda” is available to stream on Prime Video.