By Irshad Khan 
Hedda is a provocative, modern reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s classic 1891 play Hedda Gabler, transforming the century-old tragedy into a contemporary exploration of ambition, desire, and destructive manipulation. Directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Tessa Thompson in a career-defining performance, this ambitious adaptation arrived in theaters October 22, 2025, and debuted on Amazon Prime Video October 29. The film presents Ibsen’s psychological portrait of a woman trapped between societal expectations and her own unfulfilled desires with a queer sensibility that adds new depth to the source material. With strong critical reception and Thompson’s magnetic central performance, Hedda establishes itself as one of fall 2025’s most sophisticated and provocative films.
Critical Reception and Ratings
Theatrical Release: October 22, 2025 (Limited Release) | Prime Video Release: October 29, 2025 | Runtime: 1 hour 47 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Critics Score | IMDb Rating: 7.4/10 (as of October 2025)
Hedda arrives with substantial critical praise. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has earned an impressive 90% from critics out of 104 reviews, indicating widespread appreciation for DaCosta’s bold vision and Thompson’s transformative performance. Critics consistently highlight Thompson’s magnetic portrayal and DaCosta’s contemporary reimagining of the classic play as the film’s greatest strengths. The 90% critical score suggests the film successfully modernizes Ibsen’s psychological drama while adding new dimensions through its updated setting and queer perspective.
Cast and Performances
Tessa Thompson as Hedda Gabler — The star and producer delivers what many critics are calling a career-defining performance. Thompson inhabits Hedda as a woman of tremendous ambition, sophisticated manipulation, and simmering rage beneath a veneer of civility. She captivates every frame, making Hedda simultaneously sympathetic and chilling—a woman whose hunger for power and passion makes her dangerous. Thompson’s portrayal emphasizes Hedda’s internal conflict and the quiet suffocation of her loveless marriage.
Imogen Poots as Thea Clifton — The acclaimed British actress plays Hedda’s former rival and unlikely source of tension, bringing complexity to a relationship that carries new emotional weight in this modern adaptation. Poots skillfully navigates the queer undertones of her character’s connection to Hedda, creating genuine chemistry and emotional authenticity.
Tom Bateman as George Tesman — The British actor portrays Hedda’s well-meaning but professionally undistinguished husband with genuine vulnerability. Bateman captures George’s obliviousness to his wife’s suffering and his inability to provide the life Hedda craves, making him neither villain nor hero, but simply a man out of his depth.
Nicholas Pinnock as Judge Roland Brack — The British-Jamaican actor brings menace and predatory undertones to the judge who represents both social power and potential danger. Pinnock’s presence adds considerable tension to the film’s psychological games.
Nina Hoss as Eileen Lovborg — The German actress portrays a character with significant emotional weight, adding another layer to the film’s exploration of female relationships and jealousy. Hoss delivers a nuanced, powerful supporting performance.
Additional Cast: Kathryn Hunter, Finbar Lynch, Mirren Mack, Jamael Westman, Saffron Hocking round out the ensemble with strong supporting performances.
Director and Screenwriter
Nia DaCosta — The acclaimed director and screenwriter writes and directs Hedda with sophisticated visual language and psychological depth. DaCosta has previously directed the film Little Woods (2018), in which Tessa Thompson also starred. Her sensibility brings a distinctly contemporary lens to Ibsen’s 19th-century drama, updating the setting to early 20th-century England while infusing the narrative with modern sensibilities regarding gender, sexuality, and ambition. DaCosta’s screenplay adds a queer subtext to the original material, particularly in Hedda’s relationship with Thea and her jealousy of Eileen, creating new emotional dimensions while remaining faithful to the psychological essence of Ibsen’s exploration of a trapped, ambitious woman.
Plot Summary and Themes
Hedda follows Hedda Gabler, the daughter of a General, who finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage to an academic, George Tesman. Set in early 20th-century England, Hedda hungers for a life of wealth and influence that her husband cannot provide. When a former flame reappears in her life, her carefully constructed world begins to unravel. Caught between lingering desire for her past love and the quiet suffocation of her present existence, Hedda begins manipulating the people around her—with increasingly destructive consequences.
The film explores themes of female ambition thwarted by societal constraints, the toxicity of manipulation as a survival mechanism, and the psychological toll of being trapped in circumstances beyond one’s control. The modern adaptation emphasizes psychological complexity, with Hedda’s motivations feeling contemporary even within a period setting. The film adds a queer dimension to the source material, particularly in exploring Hedda’s complicated feelings toward other female characters, creating new layers of subtext to Ibsen’s original tragedy.
Where to Watch Hedda
Theatrical Release: Limited theatrical run ended (released October 22, 2025)
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video (Exclusive) — Available with Prime Video subscription or for rental/purchase. The film is available on both standard Prime Video and Prime Video with Ads. Global digital premiere October 29, 2025, with worldwide availability.
Availability: Currently available on Prime Video in all regions. No free ad-supported streaming options available, though the film can be rented or purchased on digital platforms.
Critical Praise and Industry Recognition
Hedda premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025, where it generated significant buzz among critics and industry observers. The film subsequently screened at the Zurich Film Festival as part of the Gala Premieres section—a venue known for screening films that later earn Oscar nominations. The critical consensus emphasizes Thompson’s transformative central performance and DaCosta’s bold contemporary reimagining of the classic play. Reviewers particularly praised the film’s psychological depth, visual sophistication, and the fresh perspective brought by the modern setting and queer subtext.
Final Verdict
Hedda represents an ambitious, successful adaptation of a 134-year-old play for contemporary audiences. Nia DaCosta’s sophisticated direction, sharp screenplay, and Tessa Thompson’s magnetic performance combine to create a psychologically compelling drama that honors Ibsen’s original while adding fresh dimensions through modern sensibilities and updated context. The 90% Rotten Tomatoes score indicates widespread critical appreciation for what DaCosta and her team have accomplished.
The film works equally well as both a faithful interpretation of the classic play and as a sophisticated exploration of female ambition, manipulation, and the psychological toll of societal constraints. Thompson delivers what many are calling a career-best performance, fully inhabiting a character who is simultaneously sympathetic and morally complex. For viewers seeking intelligent, psychologically rich cinema featuring outstanding performances and contemporary relevance, Hedda is essential viewing.
Rating: Highly Recommended | Best For: Fans of psychological drama, literary adaptations, character-driven cinema, and sophisticated storytelling. Viewers seeking thought-provoking explorations of ambition, desire, and manipulation will find much to appreciate in DaCosta’s vision.