Persuasion

Persuasion (2022) is a period romance based on Jane Austen's final novel, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Dakota Johnson plays Anne Elliot, a woman who once let a relative talk her out of marrying the man she loved. Eight years on, he sails back into view.

The Elliots are nearly broke. Pride forces them to rent out the family estate and economize, which throws Anne back into the path of Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) — now wealthy, decorated and pointedly distant. Anne narrates her own heartbreak straight to camera, dry and self-aware, while a smooth cousin (Henry Golding) circles with intentions of his own.

Director Carrie Cracknell drags Austen's restraint into a brasher, knowingly modern key, complete with fourth-wall asides and winks to the audience. It split viewers down the middle. Purists bristled at the liberties; anyone who loves Bridget Jones as much as the source text will find it an easy, charming watch. Stream Persuasion (2022) online on iFILM.