Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is currently streaming in Australia on Foxtel Now, and it earns its romantic beats rather than assuming them. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. 1,569 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Mia Wasikowska's performance makes the emotional stakes feel real, not manufactured. Put it on tonight on Foxtel Now and see for yourself.

Jane Eyre is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. What makes Jane Eyre work is that the obstacles feel real, not manufactured for the plot. After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Edward Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender lead a cast whose chemistry carries the emotional beats. Jane Eyre came out in 2011. Romance lives or dies on chemistry, and Jane Eyre has it in the cast combination that the writers chose to put at the centre of everything. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Jane Eyre is the kind of thing you watch without apology. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Mia Wasikowska is the anchor, and the work here is one of the more understated achievements in their career. The kind of thing you finish and immediately want more of.