Debapriya Bhattacharya
‘Hedda,’ directed by Nia DaCosta, is a retelling of Henrik Ibsen’s nineteenth-century play ‘Hedda Gabler.’ Starring Tessa Thompson in the titular role, it tells the story of a young woman in the 1950s who leaves her brilliant but alcoholic girlfriend to marry George Tesman (Tom Bateman), a young man who can offer her financial security. Living in a grand old mansion with labyrinthine gardens, she gets enamored by the finer things in life. One day, Hedda’s ex, Eileen (Nina Hoss), shows up at her party with her current lover. At the time, she is being considered for the same academic position as George. Being aware of the situation, Hedda moves to seduce her once again, and takes the opportunity to destroy a paper she has written, to completely take her out of running. Rich in passion, manipulation, and betrayal, if the movie has you intrigued, here is a list of films similar to ‘Hedda’ that you can consider watching next.
12. The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Based on the novel ‘If I Die Before I Wake’ by Sherwood King, ‘The Lady From Shanghai’ is helmed by Orson Welles and stars him as Michael O’Hara, an Irish sailor who joins as a crew member of a yacht that sails from New York to San Francisco. The vessel belongs to defense attorney Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane), whose wife Elsa (Rita Hayworth) seemingly has a chemistry with Michael. The group also picks up Arthur’s law partner, George Grisby (Glenn Anders), en route, with whom Michael gets along well. However, things change as a murder takes place on the boat, and Michael finds himself at the center of it all. Similar to ‘Hedda,’ Elsa keeps everyone in the palm of her hand in the film.
11. Double Indemnity (1944)
Adapted from the eponymous novel by James M. Cain, ‘Double Indemnity’ is about insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray), who gets seduced by the gorgeous wife of one of his clients, Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck). As the duo engages in an affair, Phyllis pushes Walter to kill her husband so that she can collect the proceeds of his insurance. Walter himself improves upon the plan so that Phyllis receives twice the amount based on the double indemnity clause. When the husband actually turns up dead, hell breaks loose for the couple as insurance investigator Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson) starts to look into the case. Similar to ‘Hedda,’ it is the flirtatious woman who brings trouble into Walter’s life in the Billy Wilder directorial.
10. Match Point (2005)
Helmed by Woody Allen, ‘Match Point’ follows English tennis instructor Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), who becomes close friends with and then brother-in-law of his wealthy student, Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode). The latter goes off to the US for a while, and upon return, brings along his new girlfriend, Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson). Despite his situation, Chris finds himself drawn to Nola, who feels similarly about him. The two begin a dangerous affair, which goes on to ruin their lives. The turmoil in the lives of Chris and the Hewetts begins with the arrival of Nola, much like the chaos surrounds the titular character in ‘Hedda.’
9. The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
The Jane Campion directorial based on Henry James’ novel of the same name, ‘The Portrait of a Lady,’ centers around Isabel Archer (Nicole Kidman), a young and free-spirited woman who is unafraid of challenging societal norms in the nineteenth century. Her kindhearted cousin writes Isabel into his father’s will. As a result, Isabel finds herself financially independent following her uncle’s death. She decides to travel the world and befriends the scheming Serena Merle (Barbara Hershey) and art enthusiast Gilbert Osmond (John Malkovich). The latter wins her over before showing his true colors. Isabel tries to find her way forward through all odds, much like ‘Hedda.’
8. A Dangerous Method (2011)
Directed by David Cronenberg, ‘A Dangerous Method’ is adapted from Christopher Hampton’s play ‘The Talking Cure,’ which itself is based on the non-fiction book ‘A Most Dangerous Method: The Story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein’ by John Kerr. When Sabina (Keira Knightley) gets hospitalized for hysteria under Dr. Carl Jung’s (Michael Fassbender) care, he uses some of Dr. Sigmund Freud’s (Viggo Mortensen) methods on her, alongside other patients. He meets up with the man himself, and the two share a strong bond. Meanwhile, Sabina shows signs of healing, and an intelligent woman makes herself known within her who falls in love with the married Carl Jung. The woman leading the doctor astray for love is reminiscent of ‘Hedda.’
7. The Hours (2002)
Based on Michael Cunningham’s novel of the same name, ‘The Hours’ directed by Stephen Daldry tells the story of three women across different points in time. Nicole Kidman stars as author Virginia Wolfe in 1920s England, who is battling depression while writing her novel, ‘Mrs Dalloway.’ It is this novel that connects the other two women, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) and Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep). Laura is a housewife in California in 1951, who is pregnant and unhappy in her marriage, while Clarissa is a New York socialite in 2001, who is preparing for an award party in honor of her friend and poet, Richard (Ed Harris). The women try to navigate their lives and take control of them through the varying yet similar circumstances, as seen in ‘Hedda.’
6. The Piano (1993)
Helmed by Jane Campion, ‘The Piano’ revolves around Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) and her young daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin), who travel from Scotland to New Zealand after Ada’s marriage is arranged to farmer Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill). Ada has been mute since childhood, and her most prized possession is a piano, which she brings with her. While Flora is not happy with Alisdair as her new father, Ada makes little effort to warm up to him. However, a friendship grows between her and the farmhand, George Baines (Harvey Keitel), which soon evolves into something more. Like ‘Hedda,’ it is the story of a woman who captures the heart of two individuals, leading to serious consequences.
5. Belle de Jour (1967)
Adapted from Joseph Kessel’s novel of the same name, the Luis Buñuel directorial ‘Belle de Jour’ centers around Séverine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve), a young Parisian housewife who is married to a dutiful husband, Pierre (Jean Sorel). While they love each other very much, Séverine is unable to live out her masochistic sexual fantasies with him. As such, when she learns of a secretive high-class brothel run by Madame Anais (Genevieve Page), she begins to work there under the name Belle de Jour. With the clients, Séverine begins to live her wildest fantasies, until one of them grows possessive of her. Similar to ‘Hedda,’ Séverine manipulates her way into getting what she wants, sometimes even at great personal risk.
4. Blue Jasmine (2013)
Directed by Woody Allen, ‘Blue Jasmine’ follows Jasmine (Cate Blanchett), a New York socialite who arrives in San Francisco to live with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), after her marriage to her rich husband, Hal Francis (Alec Baldwin), falls apart. While Ginger lives in a modest apartment, she welcomes her sister with open arms, even as the latter looks like a diva bearing no signs of the troubles that she speaks of. Jasmine starts criticising Ginger’s life and especially her boyfriend, Chili (Bobby Cannavale). Even as she wins people over with her beauty and sob story, Chili cannot bring himself to trust the woman. Jasmine starts to mold the lives of the people around her according to her liking, much like ‘Hedda.’
3. Gone Girl (2014)
Based on Gillian Flynn’s eponymous novel, ‘Gone Girl’ is about Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), a writer and professor from New York who moves from New York to Carthage, Missouri, with his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) after both of them lost their jobs in the recession. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy suddenly disappears, leading to a statewide manhunt. While Nick stays in the forefront of the investigation, he soon becomes the prime suspect. However, as the events unfold, the reality of the couple gets ever murkier. Similar to ‘Hedda,’ the David Fincher directorial traces the work of a scheming individual who drives others to insanity.
2. Anna Karenina (2012)
Helmed by Joe Wright, ‘Anna Karenina’ is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s eponymous novel and stars Keira Knightley in the titular role. Wife of Russian imperial minister Alexei Karenin (Jude Law), Anna becomes the face of a scandal in St. Petersburg when she engages in an affair with the rich and handsome young cavalry officer Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). As the word of the affair begins to spread, Alexei offers her a choice between staying with her family, obeying the social norms and being faithful to him, and going away with the Count and leaving her young son behind. Despite her infidelity, Anna finds herself drawn between the two men while navigating high society, akin to ‘Hedda.’
1. Madame Bovary (2014)
Adapted from Gustave Flaubert’s novel of the same name, the Sophie Barthes directorial ‘Madame Bovary’ chronicles the life of Emma (Mia Wasikowska), a young girl of great beauty who gets married to a much older small-town doctor, Charles Bovary (Henry Lloyd-Hughes). Introduced to high society, Emma gets her head turned around and starts seeking excitement outside her marriage. Much like ‘Hedda,’ she goes on a journey of lust and manipulation and brings along a number of people with her. Both their partners remain unaware of their wives’ deceitful plays, even as they take place under their very noses.
Read More: Movies Like Bugonia
