The Grounded, Feminist Take on Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility'

Hollywood has provided countless portrayals of the Dashwood sisters in Sense and Sensibility. Do we even really need a new interpretation of Jane Austen’s timeless tale of love? Well, after viewing the new film version directed by Georgia Oakley and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, the answer is yes. Yes, we do. That’s because Oakley’s version feels almost feminist despite little changes to the source material. It strips away the polished veneer of the traditional costume drama to reveal something much more grounded.

Edgar-Jones, who steps into the practical shoes of Elinor Dashwood, saw this vision from the very beginning. "She [Oakley] really wanted to dissolve the barriers that you can sometimes feel when you're watching a period drama," Edgar-Jones told Newsweek’s Parting Shot podcast. "Because it is set 200 years ago and they're in corsets and bonnets and the English is a little more flowery, sometimes it can mean that you do feel a little sense of distance. I was so excited by Georgia's want to dissolve that kind of distance and create a much more intimate, raw version of the Dashwoods. And every decision she made was in support of that."

That meant a production stripped of the typical artificial glamour. The costumes were naturally dyed with elderberries and logwood, the cast wore little makeup and their hair was often left loose. In stripping the confines of a usual costume drama, instead we get a visual representation of a family of women existing in a home without men. Esmé Creed-Miles, who brings a fierce energy to the hopelessly romantic Marianne Dashwood, agrees that this visual restraint allows the actual humanity of the characters to shine through.

"What she set out to do was to create something that felt naturalistic," Creed-Miles explains. "The palette is restrained, and it really lets the performances sing and the music sing. We're just trying to actually make it real and really make you feel like these are real people with real lives. I think all of those details bridge that gap because, of course, the expectation that women and people at that time were always looking and presenting as they would in a portrait is probably a little unrealistic."

Part of the reason why this version feels so bold and new is because it focuses less on the impact of the loves of the Dashwood women and more on the relationships between the women themselves. The bond between Edgar-Jones’ Elinor and Creed-Miles’ Marianne is front and center. Sure, they are both still pining for Edward Ferrars (George MacKay), John Willoughby (Frank Dillane) and Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum); those male suitors represent quite literally their financial stability in the Regency era. Yet, the women still manage to come across as independent and a lot of that has to do with the lived-in world Oakley created.

"I think the idea of pursuing love outside the bounds of what is expected of you is something that both sisters actually end up doing," Creed-Miles notes, reflecting the ways in which these women went against the norms of the time. "Both of them are actually really rebellious spirits and are fiercely protective of each other and fiercely independent."

While on the surface, Austen’s Elinor, one of literature's great heroines, could seem to be more focused on love than anything else, Edgar-Jones says otherwise. In many respects she took on the role of provider after her father’s death. Elinor occupies a traditional space, but she is burdened with the survival of her entire family.

"She's also kind of taking over from the father," Edgar-Jones points out. "She's the one who's trying to sort out the finances, sort out where they're gonna live, try and keep Margaret in education, keep the women fed. She is taking on all of the heartbreak of her sisters. She is holding this family together. She is the glue. And all along she is also experiencing her own depth of emotion, her own heartbreak that she's constantly trying to put aside."

This way in which this internal fire eventually ignites manifests in fiercely protective ways. "We were able to see a version of Elinor that has ferocity within her," Edgar-Jones adds. "There's a great scene with Willoughby that Diana [Reid, screenwriter] wrote for me where I was able to finally say to him, ‘I dare say I do not know what I'm capable of when it comes to my sister and what I will do to protect her.’”

This focus on female agency extends to the matriarch of the family as well. Caitríona Balfe plays Mrs. Dashwood not as a scheming social climber, but as a woman who trusts her daughters to find their own way. For Balfe, the appeal was portraying a mother who prioritizes matters of the heart over financial strategy.

"She's not your traditional Austen matriarch who's there scheming and plotting and trying to make these matches for her daughters," Balfe says. "She let her daughters be themselves. And she celebrated those. Just that they would know that somehow their hearts would find the right path and that they would follow that. And that was the most important thing. It wasn't about status or financial gain. It was about finding the person for your heart."

Balfe also praises the production for mirroring the harsh economic reality the Dashwood women face when they are forced out of their sprawling estate. "You felt the wind, the elements, the kind of coldness of the stone," she recalls. "And then this family infuses this place with love and life and warmth."

Even the male characters feel weighed down by the expectations of the era. Frank Dillane, who plays the unreliable but charming John Willoughby, recognizes that the men are navigating their own societal traps. "They are men of their time and that comes with certain restraints and a different sort of cage than the girls," Dillane says. He aimed to ground his character's infamous behavior in reality. "I tried to instill in Willoughby joy and have compassion for the character. I accept he behaves quite badly at times, but tried to humanize him and play a young man who is working stuff out."

One note that stood out from all the conversations with the cast is something Nordrum said at a screening. Often our experiences with love say more about who we are rather than the other person and that is fully felt in Oakley’s adaptation.

"Through heartbreak and through falling in love and through meeting other people, you learn who you are," Nordrum says. "These two sisters learn about who they are and their relationship through falling in love."

Edgar-Jones completely agrees with this assessment. For her, Elinor’s journey is about unlocking her own internal wildness just as much as it is about finding a husband. "Love is really, as much as it's about the other person, it's a complete journey of self-exploration," she says. "Running to Edward feels a lot more about embracing her own truth and authenticity than it even is about Edward."

Ultimately, what makes Oakley’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility stand out isn’t the story. (That has always been perfect in any adaptation.) It is rather the tone her film sets. In many ways, she takes the costume drama and makes it feel lived in, real and alive. The Dashwood women are fully realized and in doing so it’s like we’re seeing them for the first time. The film proves that Austen's work is not just about finding a wealthy match, but about the journey of self-discovery that happens along the way.