Tessa Thompson is a bisexual menace to (high) society in Hedda
i just know Hedda is a Capricorn
“Before you were domesticated, you were like fire”
I’ve been having a very bisexual few weeks.
Not me personally, but I am being haunted surrounded by them in a lot of my free time.
I started reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for the first time (EYE HAVE SOME THOUGHTS ON WHOMST SHOULD PLAY MONIQUE), Mae Whitman (Miss Bi-Furious herself) popped up in a episode of Desperate Housewives my fiance was watching, and most importantly, I watched Tessa Thompson cause complete and utter bisexual mommi-issue madness at a 1950s party gone WILDLY FUCKING wrong in Hedda.
Before we get into it, let’s address the queer poly couple who actually hate their lives elephant in the room—queer period pieces and I DEW NOT GET ALONG:
I famously hate 2015’s Carol (IT’S FUCKING OVERRATED)
2023’s Eileen was very much not dykey even though it was marketed as such
2021’s The United States vs Billie Holiday kept the queer kiss in the trailer but removed it from the movie
2019’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire was fucking long and BORING
2020’s Ammonite was also fucking tedious
The very few exceptions are The Favourite (Yorgos and I were friends during this time) and the fucking amazing, incredible, absolute, no fucking notes perfection that is The Handmaiden.
Unlike many a dyke—I do not care for yearning in queer films. Respectfully—get that shit the absolute fuck outta here. The queer cinema canon is far too full of it. I don’t need two hours of longing glances and moody ass music. There is a very specific sweet spot in dyke cinema between hand-holding and full-on fisting, and it’s rarely hit.
I’m begging us to find it more often, because when we do—like I feel Hedda does—you’re left with a film that leaves you a little bit ruined in the best way. For me, being ruined by a film can just mean I’m carrying it with me for a while after watching. Coming back to it again and again, trying to figure out my connection to it a little more each time. It’s a kind of masochistic relationship I have with certain films, where I’m uncomfortable but also obsessed and confused about why I want to experience it all over again. Hedda is now added to that list.
Written and directed by Nia DaCosta, it’s about a woman who is bored, broke, and determined to have the absolute best things in life. She’s the type of woman they called mad because she’s free, or at least she was free before she was tamed by the medicine that is a Mad Men era marriage. She married for access, not love—but she has been craving both since birth.
In this massive reimagining of the 1891 Norwegian play Hedda Gabler, our Hedda, dearest reader (ugh I miss Bridgerton) is Black and queer.
She was born out of wedlock to a white general and when he died, she was left with nothing but a promise of proximity to his world of castles, riches, and all things luxury. Similar to Farleigh in Saltburn (played by the incredible Archie Madekwe) she’s just close enough to matter but not ever fully invited in.
We only see one night in Hedda’s world (MOVIES THAT TAKE PLACE IN ONE DAY IS MY GENRE AND I KNOW WE ALL KNOW THAT) and babes it’s a mad, mad, world.
Hedda is a master manipulator (also known as a Libra) she will get what she wants by any means necessary. She’s also incredibly messy. The party she is throwing is meant to be one to impress her husband’s work friends and boss to get him a new job.
So, she invites some of her “free-spirited” friends to round out the guest list and ensure she isn’t entirely bored. And guess who else she invites—HER FUCKING EX-GIRLFRIEND EILEEN (Nina Hoss) THAT SHE ABSOLUTELY IS NOT OVER, WHO IS ALSO COMPETING FOR THE SAME JOB AS HER HUSBAND.
During the 107-minute runtime, we learn that Hedda is cruel and selfish, and I don’t know if I can blame her for any of that. She is, when you get down to it, a woman in (some sort of) love. And as the saying goes, love can make you do crazy things…like attempt to ruin several lives at a perfectly good cocktail party.
She isn’t just manipulative, calculated, and again, cruel…she’s a brat. She manages to be both broke and yet entitled (layered legend) and not just when it comes to money or anything tangible.
Her entitlement extends to people and their devotion to her. Eileen has (seemingly?) moved on from Hedda and their love story. She’s changed or maybe evolved with the help of a new love, Thea (Imogen Poots), who just so happens to be an old schoolmate of Hedda’s. To Hedda, that’s a insult and she is about to VERY MUCH show everybody how it is.
“How dare Eileen move on from me? How dare she grow? How dare she be happy without me????” The whole film is one long tantrum that goes too far, and it’s GREAT. Hedda is both pathetic and powerful, and the moment I realized that is when I became hella intrigued by her.
How many times have you wanted to be your purest, pettiest self when someone’s done you wrong? but something in you, something GOOD in you, stops you from actually going through with it. Not Hedda. She does it. That’s not the scariest part though. What’s terrifying is how quickly and effortlessly she does it all. Watching her is wild because some part of you knows just how close you could have come to this kind of chaotic behavior if you’d just let yourself. It’s probably cathartic…until it’s not.
DaCosta’s version doesn’t feel like just some modern, diversity-riddled update, and that’s hard to pull off, especially with major changes to Hedda’s identities. Our 2025 Hedda is Black and Queer, but DaCosta trusts her audience (which I wish directors would do more) and knows many of us are coming in more curious about how those changes to the character play out versus constantly needing them acknowledged in the film.
Tessa’s performance? Beautiful. Vain. A little dangerous. Fantastic.
I dug the queer twist in this one because it’s fueled by anger and passion—NOT YEARNING. The chemistry between Hedda and Eileen is there, and the subtlety it has to have because of the time is a big part of what makes it sexy.
Hedda hits two things that are ever-present in dyke films, age gap and interracial love. While I dug this film, I am still going to scream that I just want more Black queer love stories where both partners are Black or AT LEAST with another POC…I'M BEGGING YOU PLEASE LET ME HAVE IT!!!
All in all, adding Hedda to the queer canon is a yes from me. Thompson even managed to make me a little less annoyed by bisexuals, but let us not get carried away…I said a LITTLE less.
Heading is streaming now on Prime Video!
If you liked this review, you might dig this one too:
Okthanksforreadingbiiiiiiiii!!!!!
Simply because of your review, I will stream. I saw the trailer which left me a taste confused but after reading your post, I know I'll get my fill as a viewer.
I was already excited for this but WOWEEE I cannot wait.
Also: "The very few exceptions are The Favourite (Yorgos and I were friends during this time) and the fucking amazing, incredible, absolute, no fucking notes perfection that is The Handmaiden." Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!