In Hedda's Take on Ibsen, Style Gets in the Way of Substance.

This article focuses on Nia DaCosta's film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's play *Hedda Gabler*, starring Tessa Thompson as the titular character. Set in a 1950s English country house, the film presents a visually inventive but somewhat disjointed reimagining of the story about a willful, manipulative woman navigating complex relationships and societal constraints. While the production design is praised for its lavishness and the performances convey underlying tensions, the adaptation is critiqued for prioritizing stylistic novelty over emotional depth, making the protagonist’s motivations harder to grasp. DaCosta’s intent to portray a Black woman behaving badly offers originality, but the film struggles to fully realize the character’s complexity.