Tessa Thompson Stars in Nia DaCosta's Female-Centric 'Hedda' on Prime Video

Prime Video's latest drama, "Hedda," is a bold reimagining of Henrik Ibsen's 1891 play "Hedda Gabler," directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Tessa Thompson in the titular role. Set in a lavish 1950s English country house, the film explores themes of female autonomy and psychological tension, with Thompson delivering a mesmerizing performance that captures Hedda's complex contradictions of vulnerability, cruelty, longing, and defiance. DaCosta has modernized the story by changing Hedda's ex-lover from a male to a female character, Eileen Lovborg, adding layers to the narrative about women seeking agency in a male-dominated world. The production's rich female-centric atmosphere is enhanced by meticulous costume, set design, and an unsettling soundtrack that heightens the film's tense mood. Filmed primarily at Flintham Hall in Nottinghamshire, the movie premiered at Toronto International Film Festival before releasing in theaters and on Prime Video, receiving praise for making a classic story feel intimate, relevant, and deeply unsettling. Both Thompson and DaCosta emphasize the film's focus on internal struggles and self-liberation, portraying Hedda as a woman pushing against societal and emotional confines to define freedom on her own terms.