Review: Hedda

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Official Synopsis: Henrik Ibsen's renowned stage drama from 1891 is reimagined in an epic and emotional way.

I can't say I'm familiar with Ibsen's play. It was Nia DaCosta, Tessa Thompson and Imogen Poots' names that drew my attention. This puts me at a bit of a disadvantage because I can't really compare the "updated" changes DaCosta made.

And after watching Hedda, while I didn't hate it, I also don't feel compelled to learn more about the original play either. Hedda is a rich girl, trapped in her high society facades and it all comes to a crescendo at a party she's throwing in the home she and her husband can't afford. 

There's a lot going on here and I occasionally had trouble following how some of these people knew each other. If they were having affairs, or if they were just previous relationships. It wasn't an enticing story to me.

That doesn't mean there's nothing here. Thompson, Poots and Nina Hoss are all giving great performances. DaCosta expertly shoots each scene and Hildur Guðnadóttir provides yet another haunting score. Basically, all the women are killing it in a story that just isn't as interesting as they are individually.

Hedda is now available to stream on Amazon Prime, only you wouldn't know that by opening Prime's home page. Even though this movie came out on Thursday, and I sat down to watch it a few days later, I had to use the search function and type the entire name in before it came up. Amazon, do better at marketing your original movies. 

Grade: C

Comments

  1. thevoid99November 3, 2025 at 10:27 PM

    I am interested in this as I read this is a different take Ibsen's play as I am also interested in seeing Tessa Thompson in a period piece.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 5, 2025 at 8:48 PM

      I probably should've researched the original play a little more before writing it. But I'm lazy.

      Delete
  2. ruthNovember 7, 2025 at 3:05 PM

    I caught this at TCFF, and I liked it a bit more than you, mostly because of the actresses' performances. I had to learn a bit about Ibsen's play to see what's been changed; I knew that in the original, Eileen's character is a man. I could've just waiting until streaming but the visuals does look gorgeous on the big screen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 12, 2025 at 10:29 AM

      I can imagine they do. I would've probably gone to see this on the big screen if I had the option, but at home turned out to be just fine.

      Delete

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