Given how radically the horror genre has changed in the 21st century, it’s surprising that there hasn’t been a modern “scream queen” who has given classic stars likeJamie Lee Curtis, Neve Campbell,orHeather Langenkampa run for their money. The genre may be heading in a different direction, butMia Gothhas certainly become an icon within some of the wildest projects in recent history. Betweenthe trippy space operaHigh Life, the disturbing psychological thrillerA Cure For Wellness, the absurdist satireInfinity Pool, and her prominent role inTi West’sXandPearl, Goth has mastered all of horror’s most idiosyncratic subgenres.Goth’s association with spooky material makes it all the more surprising that she had a prominent role in theJane AustenadaptationEmma.
Emmaisone of Austen’s most beloved classics, and the 2020 film directed byAutumn de Wildeis hardly the first time it’s been brought to the big screen. In addition to several television productions and web series, the novel was adapted into a 1996 film starringGwynethPaltrow,and served as a loose inspiration for the classic high school comedyClueless.Thankfully,Emmais a more profound take on Austen’s work that features the best performance of Goth’s career.
Based on the Jane Austen novel, Emma is directed by Autumn de Wilde and stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Emma, a wealthy young matchmaker in Regency-era England. As Emma meddles in the love lives of her friends and acquaintances, she learns that her actions have unintended consequences and that the love she seeks for herself is possibly right under her nose. Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart, and Bill Nighy also star.
Mia Goth Revamps a Classic Character in ‘Emma’
Emmais set in Regency-Era England,and centers on the young socialite Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she tries to “match” various suitors within high society. While Emma does not personally believe in love, she enjoys making people like her old governess Miss Taylor (Gemma Whelan) happy by preparing them to be wed.Goth co-stars as Harriet Smith, a young single girl that Emma takes a liking to.Although Harriet’s parentage is unknown, she appears to be well-educated and quite charming. Emma initially finds Harriet’s courting process to be entertaining, but she discovers that she may have bitten off more than she can chew when they both begin to fall for the austere gentleman, Mr. George Knightley (Johnny Flynn).
Goth’s performance is effective inEmmabecauseit’s completely different from Taylor-Joy’s.Emma is highly confident in her abilities, but seems to treat the formal traditions of courting with disgust; she finds the policies antiquated, and doesn’t want to take part in a process where she could be handed off like a piece of property. Comparatively, Harriet comes from a more humble background, and seems to be in awe of the time-honored traditions that are meant to uphold society.Emmais highly critical of how wealth and privilege can lead to mismanaged expectations, but Goth never turns Harriet into a character that the audience grows to detest.
Goth manages to steal the scene from some of her co-stars,which is impressive considering how stacked with great character actorsEmmais. One of the film’s funniest scenes involves Emma attempting to pair Harriet with Mr. Elton (Josh O’Connor), a local vicar whose social skills are severely lacking. Harriet’s nonplussed reaction to Elton’s erratic behavior shows just how gifted Goth is with her expressions, as her subtle facial movements are the perfect counterbalance toO’Connor’s more eccentric physical comedy.Nonetheless, Goth is still able to generate sympathy for Harriet, particularly in a heartbreaking scene where Elton refuses to dance with her after being rejected by Emma.
Mia Goth Shows Her Comic Abilities in ‘Emma’
Goth’s softness allowsEmmato serve as a successful social satire,asHarriet’s greatest crime is being completely sincere. She seems to believe everyone at their word, even when it’s obvious that Emma is taking advantage of her to satisfyher interest in Knightley. What’s impressive is that Goth never depicts Harriet as being ignorant, as she manages to pick up on the ways of Emma’s heart long before she does. However, Harriet is so blind to the forces of deception at play that she almost feels like a bystander in her own romantic life; the blissful earnestness that Goth conveys with her doe-eyed performance accounts for some of the film’s biggest laughs.
Emmahas endured as one of Austen’s most beloved works of literature because, at its heart, it’s a very optimistic story. Emma herself is a pessimist who learns the price of burying her emotions, and the film succeeds in showing how she learns to act more like Harriet.Emmais successful at depictinga positive example of female friendshipthat isn’t disrupted by a man. Although they both admit to being in love with Knightley, Emma succeeds in helping Harriet get engaged to the charismatic tenant farmer Robert Martin (Connor Swindells). Goth conveys the happiness that Harriet feels in this moment, even if her heart has been drawn to different men throughout the story. She simply feels happy to be cared for by someone, and seems to take an equal amount of pleasure in seeing Emma reunite with her father (Bill Nighy).
‘Emma’ Shows Mia Goth’s Bravery as an Actress
While she certainly took part insome gnarly stunts at the end ofX,Goth took on one of her most challenging roles inEmma.The film retains the classical pacing of the dialogue, and did not attempt to modernize any of the language in an effort to appeal to younger viewers. This could have been disastrous if the stars weren’t conscious of how the vocal patterns should work, but Goth slips perfectly into the dialect. She captures the witty, snarky nature of the dialogue without ever breaking the assumption of realism.
Emmashowed that Goth is a far more versatile actress than she is given credit for.Givenher reputation as a modern scream queen, it would have been very easy for Goth to be typecast, and not given the chance to pursue other genres. Her success in reinventing a classic character indicates that Goth has many surprises left in her filmography.
