Hedda — Review
Source: Amazon MGM Studios
With Hedda, Nia DaCosta is at the top of her game. This reimagining of Henrik Ibsen's renowned 1891 play Hedda Gabler puts a sapphic spin on the story. It’s a provocative, tempestuous power play about a lavish gathering gone awry.
Tessa Thompson steps into the titular role with passion and prowess. She delivers a fiery, powerhouse performance. DaCosta’s adaptation moves the story to 1950s England, but the narrative’s core stays the same. Hedda Tesman (née Gabler) is a general’s daughter and newly married to academic George Tesman (Tom Bateman). The film diverges from the play by gender-swapping Eilert Løvborg. Not only is Eileen Løvborg (Nina Hoss) Hedda’s former lover, she’s also George’s competition for a coveted professorship, one that he desperately needs for his family’s financial sake.
Hedda and George throw an opulent party at their home, inviting George’s colleagues and Hedda’s friends to attend. However, Hedda has grown bored with her life and appears to enjoy stirring things up and toying with people’s emotions. So, naturally, she also invites Eileen to attend. Before Eileen makes her entrance, a former schoolmate of Hedda’s, Thea Clifton (Imogen Poots), arrives. Thea is noticeably distressed and searching for Eileen. At this point, the party is in full swing, and the film takes place over the course of the evening as chaos gradually unfolds.
Source: Amazon MGM Studios
Hedda transforms a familiar story into something novel and exciting while simultaneously introducing a literary classic to a new generation. Not only does the decision to gender-swap one of the main characters make for a fresh, enticing twist, but it also results in a fascinating dynamic between three well-written, complex, and neurotic female characters. The dialogue is witty, the tension is fierce, and the film is tantalizing and seductive.
Eileen and Hedda, especially, are the types of strong personalities who command every room they enter, and the cinematography works in tandem with the writing and performances to exemplify this. For example, cinematographer Sean Bobbitt employs numerous rack-focus shots, continuously drawing our attention back to these women who are so spellbinding it’s nearly impossible to look away from them. In addition, in an homage to Spike Lee, there’s a stunning double-dolly shot when Eileen finally makes her grand entrance at the soirée. This shot makes it feel as though Hedda is being magnetically pulled toward Eileen as the background remains stagnant behind her.
Hedda captures the theatricality of its source material. Even if viewers haven't read Henrik Ibsen's play, they can easily discern that it's adapted from a stage production. This is due to its dialogue-heavy nature and confinement to a single evening and location, which is ironic because the play itself expands beyond the confines of the party. This setup could make the film seem humdrum, but the mischievous cat-and-mouse games keep it engaging. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s score charges the film with energy. The music is lively yet ominous, blending with the diegetic sounds by mimicking the breathy whispers, subtle murmurs, gasps, and shouts one expects from a party spiraling out of control.
Source: Amazon MGM Studios
Costume designer Lindsay Pugh’s work is given a chance to shine with the glamorous, extravagant gowns worn by Hedda and her guests, even if at times the lighting makes the colors appear a bit murky. Some of the visual choices are questionable, with some unflattering shots or the camera being kept at a distance during more emotional scenes. At times, the narrative feels a bit clunky. The decision to open with a scene from later in the evening hinders some of the suspense by establishing right from the beginning that a shooting will eventually take place. However, the characters are chaotic and captivating enough to maintain the momentum.
Tessa Thompson revels in this role. With her signature smirk and devilish attitude, she floats about the party with reckless abandon, expertly manipulating her guests. More than love, what she’s really after is power. It’s evident just from her mannerisms and the look in her eyes that her desire is to be in control, not just of the party and the people around her, but of her own fate. Her presence is electrifying, and she has chemistry with nearly every actor she shares the screen with. She’s mesmerizing every moment she’s on screen, even down to the film’s haunting final shot.
Hedda, much like the party it depicts, is a film that’s seductive, glamorous, messy, and wild, offering a fresh, thrilling take on Henrik Ibsen’s play and serving as a brilliant showcase for Tessa Thompson’s extraordinary talent. The cheeky dialogue offers up some laughs while the melodrama riles up emotions, the tension stirs up some thrills, and the chemistry ignites a sensual spark. It’s a bewitching and sultry power play and a sumptuous exploration of both female desire and feminine rage. Nia DaCosta and Tessa Thompson previously worked together on DaCosta’s directorial debut, Little Woods, but Hedda might just be their best work yet.
Hedda screens at the Montclair Film Festival on October 21, 2025. It’ll be released in select theaters on October 22nd and on Prime Video on October 29th.
