Hedda (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A woman's desperate attempts to control her destiny lead to a series of destructive actions during a high-stakes social gathering.
The story
In 1950s England, police interrogate Hedda Gabler Tesman following a shooting at her estate. Flashbacks reveal the events of the previous 24 hours, during which Hedda hosted a party to secure her husband, a debt-ridden academic, a prestigious professorship. The atmosphere becomes tense as Hedda's complicated past and current relationships collide with the presence of a former lover and a bold, aspiring writer. As the evening progresses, Hedda's internal turmoil manifests in a series of calculated moves to manipulate those around her, leading to a volatile confrontation that threatens to expose her secrets and destroy the lives of everyone involved in the gathering.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1950s England, a woman named Hedda Gabler Tesman is interrogated following a shooting at her estate. The narrative moves back 24 hours to a party she hosted to secure a professorship for her husband, George. The presence of her former lover, Eileen, and a writer named Thea, who is Eileen's partner, creates a volatile dynamic. Hedda, harboring feelings for Eileen, becomes desperate when Eileen rejects her. To protect her own position and sabotage Eileen's academic prospects, Hedda orchestrates a series of manipulations: she creates a scandal for Eileen, pressures Thea, and steals Eileen's manuscript. After a physical altercation leads to Eileen being shot, Hedda lies to George about her pregnancy to keep him from intervening. Later, Judge Brack confronts Hedda about her involvement in the shooting. When he threatens to expose her, she shoots at him and flees to a lake. As she prepares to drown herself, she hears that Eileen has survived, and she is left with a haunting, enigmatic smile.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Nia DaCosta
- Writers
- Nia DaCosta · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tessa Thompson · Hedda Gabler; Nina Hoss · Eileen Lovborg; Imogen Poots · Thea Clifton; Tom Bateman · George Tesman; Nicholas Pinnock · Judge Roland Brack; Finbar Lynch · Professor Greenwood; Mirren Mack · Tabita Greenwood; Jamael Westman · David
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- Repression; Social Status; Obsession
- Tone and mood
- Dramatic; Tense
- Setting
- 1950s England
- Premise and plot tags
- Period Piece; Psychological Drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 70 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Actress – Drama · Nomination
- Production trivia
- Nia DaCosta first conceived of the adaptation in 2012.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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