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Hedda

Hedda

A little chaos is good for the gathering.

2025107 minRMidcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Director
Nia DaCosta
Starring
Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss, Imogen Poots, Nicholas Pinnock

Hedda Gabler finds herself torn between the lingering ache of a past love and the quiet suffocation of her present life. Over the course of one charged night, long-repressed desires and hidden tensions erupt—pulling her and everyone around her into a spiral of manipulation, passion, and betrayal.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Hedda?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Hedda streaming on Prime Video.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Hedda?

Hedda earns 1 badge: Award Winner.

Reception

Is Hedda worth watching?

Hedda's Midcredits score is the 40th percentile of all films, from 53K ratings across 6 sources. 37% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

40th percentile

Better received than 40% of films

37th percentile among Drama42nd percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)48th
Approval (how many liked it)33rd

61 /100

48th percentile of all films

47th percentile among Drama50th percentile among 2020s

Critics 70 · Audience 60

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 5.7 — solid but not unanimous.

37% liked it

33rd percentile of all films

29th percentile among Drama35th percentile among 2020s
37% rated it 7–1063% rated it 1–6

Critics 90% · Audience 53%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 10 wins / 58 noms overall

  • NominatedGolden Globes· Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Reach

How many have seen it

89th percentile

53K ratings across platforms

91st percentile among Drama90th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 18% in 30 days

Box office

Opening weekend$4.6K
Domestic gross$8.4K
Worldwide gross$15K

17th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A visually ambitious, modernized adaptation of Ibsen's play with strong craft ambition that divides on execution.

Fans praised

  • Thompson and Hoss deliver electrifying, seductive performances
  • DaCosta's confident direction and distinctive narrative voice
  • Lush cinematography and meticulous craft details

Detractors panned

  • Thompson lacks charisma and fails to convey Hedda's manipulation
  • Story loses steam with extraneous subplots and slack pacing
  • Modernization loosens Ibsen's original dramaturgical structure

What stands out

Cinematography75

lush visuals and production design

AtmosphereDivisive70

hedonistic party setting with stylish period flair

ActingDivisive65

polarizing lead performance; Thompson either wondrous or flat, Hoss widely praised

OriginalityDivisive60

modernized reinterpretation with mixed success

CharactersDivisive55

Hedda's manipulation and motivations muddled in update

Plot and storyDivisive50

loses steam, extraneous subplots, altered ending undermines subversion

PacingDivisive45

initial crackle wanes, momentum diluted

Ending40

key changes to ending undermine subversive impact

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 3 points apart
  • US vs non-US 5 points apart

Watch experience

What is Hedda like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention, room for heavy feelings and a taste for open questions.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseRomanticBittersweet
Heaviest: late
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
Melodramatic · 9% of films: Heightened emotion, played large.Romantic · 8% of films
Told as
Chaptered · 1% of films: Told in titled chapters or clearly separate parts.In medias res · 1% of films: Opens mid-action, then fills in how we got there.
ToneThe film plays its melodrama and romantic tension straight, with heightened visual and musical stylisation, never winking at the audience.
The rideSustained tension and desire build toward a violent, sorrowful conclusion as Hedda's fate unravels.
StructureThe film begins with a shooting reveal, then uses chaptered segments to chronicle the party night, building toward the known outcome.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayThe film’s depiction of manipulation and its dark consequences leaves a lingering unease, while the layered characterisation prompts reflection on power and desire.
How it ends · evidence
Tragic ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% (this title) · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Corruption arc: Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).

9% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe story follows Hedda, whose manipulative schemes at a party unravel her seemingly perfect life, a classic corruption arc. The one-night structure and character-driven plot fit no other archetype strongly.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5% (this title)
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% (this title) · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Identity · 14% of filmsFreedom · 5% of filmsIsolation · 5% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeHedda grapples with who she is within a confining social role, seeking liberation yet cut off from authentic connection.
StanceThe film questions Hedda's identity and societal constraints without celebrating or condemning her, presenting her as a magnetic but trapped figure.

The world

Mid 20th centuryDomesticRuralStylized realism
Orchestral modernElectronicSupportive music · original score · Hildur Guðnadóttir
SettingA dilapidated manor hosting a party among wealthy academics and socialites in the British countryside
MusicHildur Guðnadóttir's score likely underscores the film's emotional intensity and brooding atmosphere.

Content guide

Is Hedda okay for kids?

R

Hedda is rated R: “Rated R for sexual content, language, drug use and brief nudity” (MPAA). As of August 19, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (58/100), sexual content at moderate (40/100), language at intense (64/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (63/100) and frightening material at intense (71/100). Its frightening material has too few votes to rank. Overall it is heavier than 47% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 8 other countries
  • UK15
  • Ireland15A
  • New ZealandR16
  • Brazil16
  • PRR
  • SingaporeM18
  • Spain16
  • VIR
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 68% of all filmsHeavier than 47% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 33%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 36%
Profanity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 44%
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 81%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
too few votes to rank (8 votes)

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is language and drug and alcohol content. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Hedda have?

MovieCove's classifier found 3 depicted content warnings in Hedda: Gun violence (moderate), plus 2 withheld here because they would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

ModerateGun violence

Cast and crew

Who is in Hedda?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Tessa Thompson
as Hedda Gabler
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Nina Hoss
as Eileen Lovborg
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Imogen Poots
as Thea Clifton
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Nicholas Pinnock
as Judge Roland Brack
Tom Bateman
as George Tesman
Finbar Lynch
as Professor Greenwood
Mirren Mack
as Tabitha Greenwood
Jamael Westman
as David
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Saffron Hocking
as Jane Ji
First film: No prior film role; they had worked in television.
Kathryn Hunter
as Bertie

Crew

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What are movies like Hedda?

TMDB's suggestions for movies like Hedda include Lilies (1996), On Chesil Beach (2017) and The Last Word (2008).

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What else shares a premise, people or place with Hedda?

2.4K other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: soulmates separated. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.