Amanda Dobbins hosts a conversation with Sam Sanders about two sexually provocative films: Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights and Harry Lighton's directorial debut Pillion. Sanders, who hosts The Sam Sanders Show, joins to discuss these unconventional romantic films that explore power, desire, and vulnerability.

The episode examines Fennell's controversial adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, which transforms the source material from a revenge story into a love story by removing key characters. The hosts also explore Pillion, adapted from Adam Mars-Jones' novel Box Hill, which successfully navigates BDSM themes within a romantic comedy framework.

Following their discussion, Dobbins interviews director Harry Lighton about his adaptation process, casting decisions with Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, and the challenges of depicting intimate relationships on screen while maintaining both authenticity and accessibility for mainstream audiences.

Emerald Fennell's Controversial Wuthering Heights Adaptation

Fennell's version represents the 35th film or television adaptation of Wuthering Heights, but fundamentally alters the story by removing Hindley, the cruel brother character who drives much of the novel's conflict.

The casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff ignores the novel's racial and class themes, with Amanda noting: 'It was a weird choice, and it felt like Emerald Fennell could have made a more interesting film and a braver film had she grappled at all with race.'

Emily Brontë's original Wuthering Heights uses complex language to describe Heathcliff's ethnicity, including the N-word and 'gypsy,' creating scholarly debate about whether the character represents racial otherness in 1847 society.

The 2011 Andrea Arnold adaptation directly addresses race by casting a Black actor as Heathcliff and depicting the violence and marginalization the character faces.

Visual Style and Sexual Content Comparisons

Despite being shot on 35mm VistaVision by acclaimed cinematographer Linus Sandgren, Wuthering Heights suffers from dark, flat lighting that obscures the elaborate costume and production design.

Fennell's approach to sexuality emphasizes visceral imagery - eggs cracking, scarred backs, groaning sounds - but avoids actual nudity or explicit content, leading to what Sam describes as 'edging' without resolution.

The film opens with groaning sounds that appear sexual but reveal a hanging scene, establishing Fennell's pattern of bringing viewers 'to the edge of climax' without satisfaction.

Charlie XCX's score provides an interesting modern counterpoint to the period setting, though the overall tone remains unclear between sincerity and provocation.

Pillion's Successful BDSM Rom-Com Formula

Harry Lighton adapted Box Hill by avoiding voiceover narration despite the novel's first-person structure, instead finding 'equivalent images for that tone' through visual storytelling.

The film succeeds by maintaining consent throughout the dom-sub relationship while hitting classic romantic comedy beats, with Sam noting: 'Every expression of the beat is a thing I haven't seen in this kind of film before.'

Alexander Skarsgård's casting came after Lighton saw his 'psychologically dominating' performance in Succession Season 4, wanting someone who could 'psychologically control situations and also be mischievous.'

The film portrays Colin's family as initially accepting but struggling with the specific nature of his relationship, avoiding typical 'parents learn to accept gay child' narratives.

Adaptation Challenges and Creative Choices

Lighton deliberately avoided watching classic leather and biker films like The Wild One to prevent over-referential filmmaking, though acknowledges accidental crossovers like using Betty Curtis' 'I Will Follow Him.'

The director employed a 'collecting' approach inspired by female directors, shooting multiple versions of scenes to maintain tonal options during editing.

Both films grapple with depicting sexuality for mainstream audiences, with Pillion using strategic editing to avoid X-ratings while maintaining authenticity in its BDSM content.

Lighton chose Bromley as the setting for its 'slightly suburban flavour of places on the outskirts of London where they've been a bit forgotten about,' reflecting Colin's isolation from central London's queer scene.