Love It or Loathe It, ‘Wuthering Heights’ Is Headed for the Awards Race
When Emerald Fennell makes a film, discourse is part of the design. Her adaptation of Wuthering Heights has landed and, much like Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, audiences are split straight down the middle. Some are furious. Others are electrified. Fennell does not make polite films. She makes provocation as spectacle. And whether you love it or loathe it, one thing is clear: this film will be in the awards conversation for 2027.
The question is not if it contends, but where.
Above the Line? Unlikely.
Let’s start with the reality check. Wuthering Heights is not an above-the-line contender. The divisive reception, reflected in muted aggregate scores, rules out any serious chance at Best Picture or a directing nomination. The Academy can embrace bold swings, but it overwhelmingly rewards consensus enthusiasm at the top. Historically, most Best Picture nominees land in the 85 to 95 percent range on Rotten Tomatoes. At 62 percent, this film is well outside that zone and all but eliminated from contention in the major categories. Still, it is impossible to ignore the pedigree involved.
Fennell herself is an Oscar winner for Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman and was nominated for both Director and Best Picture that same year. Margot Robbie is a three-time Oscar nominee. Jacob Elordi is currently in the awards race and could very well emerge as an Oscar winner this season. Hong Chau is also an Oscar nominee.
No, I do not expect acting nominations here. But the sheer density of Academy-recognized talent matters. The Oscars know these names. They have rewarded them before. And that familiarity can create goodwill that trickles into other branches.
Which brings us to where this film’s real strength lies.
Follow the Crafts
If you want early clues about nominations, look at the craftspeople. Look at who has won before. Look at who the Academy already trusts.
And Wuthering Heights is stacked.
Cinematography
Linus Sandgren is an Oscar winner and one of the most respected DPs working today. He is also attached to Dune: Part Three, which guarantees he will be in the awards conversation all year. His work in Wuthering Heights leans into windswept romanticism with operatic scale, this is exactly the kind of visual grandeur the cinematography branch responds to.
Production Design
Suzie Davies is a two-time Oscar nominee. Gothic estates, decaying grandeur, heightened period stylization. This is catnip for the production design branch.
Costume Design
This feels like the most obvious play. Jacqueline Durran is a nine-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner, with multiple nominations for period work. The Academy loves her. Period romance, corsetry, windswept fabrics on the moors. If the film lands anywhere, this is the category that feels closest to a lock.
Original Score
Anthony Willis brings prestige credibility with multiple BAFTA nominations. The score amplifies the film’s fever-dream tone rather than playing it straight.
Original Song
And then there is Charli XCX. The Oscars have increasingly embraced contemporary pop artists in this category. Her moody, emotionally charged tracks are tied closely to the film’s themes, and could absolutely sneak into the lineup, especially if campaigned strategically.
Divisive Films Still Get Nominated
Here is the thing about craft categories: they are forgiving.
A film does not need to be a Best Picture juggernaut to show up here. In fact, many movies that miss above the line still land nominations, particularly for costumes and production design. These branches vote for excellence in their discipline first. Cultural consensus is secondary.
It is early. Box office, staying power, and how the industry rallies around the film will matter. So will campaign strategy. But from a purely technical standpoint, Wuthering Heights boasts immaculate craftsmanship from artists the Academy has already embraced.Costumes feel like the safest bet. Cinematography and production design are strong possibilities. Score and song are very much in play. So whether you adore it or despise it, Wuthering Heights is bound to appear in the 2027 Oscar conversation.
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Binge. play. Watch. Repeat.
