WUTHERING HEIGHTS

*CUT TO THE CHASE*

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Jeremy

The film opens as a man is being hanged by the neck. The townschildren begin to laugh and point at his visible erection. The rest of the townsfolk start to display bizarre reactions, including a couple making out beneath the man’s corpse. Two children, Catherine Earnshaw (Charlotte Mellington) and her friend/paid servant, Nelly Dean (Vy Nguyen), are among the onlookers, and they also have strong reactions to the scene.

Cathy lives with her drunkard father, Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) in their dilapidated estate of Wuthering Heights in the Yorkshire Moors. Earnshaw is abusive toward Cathy but brings in a boy (Owen Cooper) off the streets, claiming his own father didn’t want him. Cathy names him “Heathcliff” in honor of her deceased brother. Though Heathcliff doesn’t speak at first, Cathy bonds with him and educates him, and they become devoted to one another.

One afternoon, Cathy and Heathcliff are stuck out on the streets in the rain. When they get home, Earnshaw is drunk and furious that they have come late for his birthday. He starts to blame Cathy, but Heathcliff takes the blame for it. Heathcliff gets Nelly to take Catherine out of the room while Earnshaw brutally beats Heathcliff, and Cathy can only hear in despair. Heathcliff is left with permanent scars on his back.

When they become adults, Cathy (now played by Margot Robbie) still bonds with Heathcliff (now played by Jacob Elordi). Wuthering Heights has fallen deeper into hard times due to Earnshaw’s excessive drinking and gambling habits. Cathy and Heathcliff go for a walk. She says she wants to court their new neighbor, Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), so that their marriage may prove beneficial for both Cathy and Heathcliff. He is tired of hearing about Edgar and hoists Cathy up on a tree to shut her up. When he returns home, Heathcliff sits on a bunch of eggs that Cathy left in his bed as payback.

Cathy goes over to the Linton estate to spy on Edgar and his ward, an erratic young woman named Isabella (Alison Oliver). In the middle of Isabella’s chattering regarding “Romeo and Juliet”, she spots Cathy’s head peeking up and it frightens her, and causes Cathy to slip and injure herself. Edgar takes Cathy in to heal. He becomes smitten with her and eventually proposes marriage to her, which she accepts. Cathy returns home with a new dress, and Heathcliff is visibly jealous.

Cathy later spots two servants, Joseph and Zillah (Ewan Mitchell and Amy Morgan) engaging in an intense BDSM sexual encounter, while she watches from afar. Heathcliff shows up to cover Cathy’s mouth so she doesn’t make a sound, but she can still see and hear what is happening. Heathcliff later finds Cathy pleasuring herself in the barn. They go outside and nearly share a kiss, but Cathy doesn’t think their relationship would work.

Cathy talks to Nelly about how she feels some guilt in choosing Edgar over Heathcliff, but he walks by and overhears out of context the moment where she says that marrying him would degrade her status. Cathy catches Heathcliff trying to leave and tries to explain herself, but he is heartbroken and leaves on horseback.

A year passes. Cathy marries Edgar, and they are shown to have a passionless marriage at his estate of Thrushcross Grance, and they bring Nelly along as well. She spends time with Isabella, who helps her acquire fancy dresses and even makes a doll of Cathy with Cathy’s own hair, but Cathy continues to quietly yearn for Heathcliff.

After five years, Heathcliff returns, now having mysteriously acquired a fortune and looking well-groomed, clean-shaven, and sporting a gold tooth. Cathy is also now pregnant with Edgar’s child. Although Cathy is elated to see Heathcliff again, he remains resentful toward her over her marrying Edgar.

Heathcliff buys Wuthering Heights from Mr. Earnshaw, who eventually dies. Cathy and Heathcliff attend his funeral, though she holds no grief for her father. Despite their tumultuous reunion, Cathy and Heathcliff give in to their feelings for one another and begin a private sexual affair. Heathcliff even offers to kill Edgar for Cathy, which she briefly considers but ultimately chooses against. Isabella develops an obsession with Heathcliff as well and considers Cathy to not be good enough for him.

Nelly finds out about the affair. Cathy gets hostile and attempts to have Nelly fired and banished from Edgar’s estate. Nelly instead tells Edgar about the affair, and he attempts to sway Cathy from seeing Heathcliff.

Cathy tells Heathcliff about her pregnancy. Naturally, he reacts poorly. He goes to Isabella and proposes marriage to her, despite making it clear he is going to treat her badly, but she doesn’t care because the abuse arouses her. They enter a BDSM relationship, with Heathcliff treating Isabella like a dog and putting a leash on her so she can crawl on all fours. While she enjoys it, Nelly visits them and is mortified by the scene.

Cathy becomes depressed over losing Heathcliff again. She starves herself and eventually admits to Nelly that she lost the baby a long time ago. Heathcliff tries to send Cathy love letters through Isabella, but Nelly throws them all into the fireplace. Cathy starts to develop septicemia as a result of the miscarriage. She tells Nelly she forgives her for not clarifying her words to Heathcliff, but Edgar finds out about Cathy’s condition and fires Nelly for neglecting to tell him.

Nelly returns to Heathcliff and Isabella’s home. After telling Heathcliff about Cathy’s condition, Nelly takes Isabella away, and Heathcliff rides his horse to see Cathy. By the time he has arrived, Cathy has already bled out and died. Edgar tries to stop Heathcliff from seeing Cathy as she is now, but Heathcliff pushes through and tearfully holds Cathy’s body, professing his love and begging her to come back to him, before simply laying by her side.

The last scene is a flashback to young Cathy and Heathcliff. While it seems like Cathy is sleeping, Heathcliff whispers to her how he will always love her and remain close to her always. Cathy smiles.

In late 18th century England, Catherine "Cathy" Earnshaw develops a lifelong attachment to a boy that she names "Heathcliff" after her abusive alcoholic father took him in. The two fall in love but Cathy thinks their relationship would be frowned upon due to the differences in their social status.

Cathy marries her wealthy neighbor, Edgar Linton, to the dismay of Heathcliff. He leaves for five years and returns with a mysterious fortune. Heathcliff purchases the estate of Wuthering Heights from Mr. Earnshaw before his death and later begins a sexual affair with Cathy. However, after he learns that she is pregnant with Edgar's child, Heathcliff marries Edgar's ward Isabella out of jealousy. He forces Isabella into a BDSM relationship, which she enjoys.

Cathy becomes depressed over losing Heathcliff again, and she suffers a miscarriage that eventually infects her with septicemia. Cathy's longtime friend/servant Nelly goes to tell Heathcliff and rescue Isabella. By the time Heathcliff arrives, Cathy has already died. He tearfully professes his love for her and lays by her side.