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Emerald Fennell’s three feature films as director, through 2026, are Promising Young Woman, Saltburn and Wuthering Heights. My ranking puts Promising Young Woman first for its screenplay and control, Saltburn second for its vivid but divisive excess, and Wuthering Heights third as a striking, personal adaptation whose ideas feel less fully developed. The order is an editorial judgment, not an objective measure of quality.
How the ranking works
The films differ sharply in genre: a revenge thriller, a country-house Gothic class satire, and a period romance adapted from Emily Brontë. This ranking weighs narrative control and payoff, distinctiveness, emotional impact, and how well each film’s provocations serve its ideas. The Directors Guild of America and the BFI identify these three feature films as Fennell’s directing work to date: DGA and BFI.
1. Promising Young Woman (2020)
Why it ranks first
Fennell’s feature debut is the most tightly controlled of the three. Carey Mulligan plays Cassie Thomas in a blackly comic feminist revenge thriller about trauma, revenge and accountability. Its familiar genre engine gives the film momentum, while its tonal shifts make the story more unsettling than a straightforward revenge fantasy.
The screenplay is the strongest concrete distinction in its favor: the film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and Fennell won the Oscar for Original Screenplay in 2021, as the Associated Press reported. That recognition aligns with the film’s controlled construction, though awards alone do not settle a ranking.
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#1 Best Overall
How it compares with audience ratings
In a comparison published by Tom’s Guide in February 2026, the Rotten Tomatoes audience scores were 87% for Promising Young Woman, 79% for Saltburn and 78% for Wuthering Heights. Those are the figures as reported in that article, not fixed or live scores; ratings can change. They support this order as a snapshot of audience response, not as a verdict on artistic merit: Tom’s Guide.
2. Saltburn (2023)
A Gothic story about access and privilege
Saltburn follows scholarship student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) as he enters the orbit of charming aristocrat Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi) and is invited to the Catton family estate. Rosamund Pike plays Felix’s mother. Fennell uses the country-house Gothic tradition to explore class, privilege, desire and the social codes that govern who belongs.
Rank #2
Fennell told the AP that she wanted to make “a take on the classic English gothic story.” The same AP report frames the film’s interest in class as a counterpart to Promising Young Woman’s focus on gender and notes its unusually provocative scenes: Associated Press.
Why it lands in second place
The film’s atmosphere and formal daring make it the most unruly and visually sumptuous of the three. Its provocations are part of the design, but they can feel larger than the ideas they serve, leaving viewers to decide what the spectacle adds up to. Fennell told the AP she wanted audiences to debate and feel the film, rather than arrive at one settled meaning. That openness is a strength for viewers who enjoy ambiguity and a frustration for those who want a more conclusive payoff.
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A personal adaptation, not a definitive one
Fennell wrote and directed this adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel, with Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. The DGA describes it as a period romance centered on an intense and destructive relationship, while Warner Bros. confirms its release and credits: DGA and Warner Bros..
Fennell has described the film as an approximation of the feelings the novel gives her, not a comprehensive or definitive screen version. “You can only make an approximation of how it makes you feel,” she told W Magazine, adding that “the disagreement or the lack of consensus about something is valid and important.” That framing helps explain why the film may divide viewers who bring different expectations to its romance and its relationship with Brontë’s text: W Magazine.
Rank #4
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What the criticism says
In her Associated Press review, Lindsey Bahr called the film bold but shallow, awarded it two stars out of four, and listed a 136-minute running time and a U.S. R rating for sexual content, some violent content and language. This is one critic’s assessment, not a measure of consensus: Associated Press review.
That criticism explains the third-place position: the film’s tactile production design and strong visual identity make an impression, but the adaptation’s ideas may not feel as fully developed as its provocation. Viewers who value a personal reinterpretation over close fidelity to the novel may respond differently.
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Which Emerald Fennell film should you watch first?
- Start with Promising Young Woman for the clearest narrative drive and most controlled screenplay.
- Choose Saltburn for Gothic atmosphere, class satire and deliberately uncomfortable provocation.
- Choose Wuthering Heights if you want a visually vivid, personal take on Brontë and are open to adaptation choices that invite disagreement.
These are different entry points rather than chapters in a continuing story. Fennell has said she is interested in movies as pleasure, and that appetite for a strong response takes a distinct form in each film: BFI interview.
Where to watch or find Wuthering Heights
Warner Bros. says Wuthering Heights is available digitally and on 4K Ultra HD. Its March 24, 2026 home-entertainment announcement names participating digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video and says 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD editions are available through online and physical retailers. Availability can vary by territory and change over time: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
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