Review of Sense and Sensibility: Daisy Edgar Jones and George McKay capitalize on Jane Austen's unmistakable adaptation to earthy sense.

Filmmaker Georgia Oakley sticks to the text to often sad results in an adaptation that may not compare to Ang Lee's, but has something fresh to say about Austen's oft-made debut novel. Also: Watch out for Esme Creed Miles' breakout role as Marian Dashwood.

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I know what you're thinking: do we really need another "sense and sense"? Admittedly, three decades have passed and changed since Ang Lee's definitive version of Jane Austen's first novel, starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet as the Dashwood sisters, whose unexpected poverty mixes with romantic and social ambitions. Still, the "Pride and Prejudice" tunes suggest that bringing Sense and Sensibility back to the screen isn't out of the realm of reason: Austen's third novel, "Pride and Prejudice," has had at least three screen versions since 1995, including an upcoming Netflix series. RELATED STORY REVIEW 'Crystal Lake': Overkill to an undercooked story in A24's 'Friday the 13th' prequel Michael Douglas about his relationship and legal battle with Kathleen Turner, and nearly landing in a Moroccan prison during 'Jewel of the Nile'

Enter filmmaker Georgia Oakley, who brought such tender texture to a Thatcher-era lesbian romance in Newcastle with Blue Jane, and now joins the Austen set with a new adaptation. Fresh, new "sense and sensibility" is not so much a thing reconfigured for the 21st century as a solid and faithful oak embodiment made with classic sensibility and temperament.

Visually, it's closer in spirit to something like Barry Lyndon, fond of natural light and unvarnished period detail, rather than the sleek, straightforward "modernized" restorations that have made Austen a brand. (Though the short film, which features Sting's non-binary child, Ripley's star Elliott Sumner, as a wealthy gentleman and the diminutive Mr. Palmer, is the most "modern" flourish and the closest rebellion against regular actors.)

As Dashwood's older sister Elinor, whose respect for reason is thwarted by romantic passion, Daisy Edgar Jones gives a deeply emotional performance that elevates her penchant for menial work to a greater register: she meanders gently into the textures of this world, with occasional bursts of rousing or thrilling emotion.

But the strongest case here in terms of camera work is the wildly talented Esme Creed-Miles, daughter of Samantha Morton, as Marian Dashwood, whose fixation on the heiress of John Willoughby's handsome son (Frank Dylan, also the riveter) melts her into pits of brawn. Combine Lover Crying in the Rain with Roger Gula's supple string score and we have a sweeping love saga alive with real pain.

Working with cinematographer Arnaud Pothier, Oakley brings a strong visual eye to the text, highlighting the clothes and make-up that appear to have been lived and worn by real people of the period, here in 19th century Sussex and Devon. Inky skies and long, tall grasses paint a world where the outside matches the inside, an emotional climate that matches real weather and plants. If "Sense and Sensibility" in Pockets feels brutal, that's by design, as Oakley eschews the fantasy of many Austen adaptations for a look and feel that's closer to the historical-fictional kitchen sink.

Also written by Oakley, the screenplay doesn't always gracefully intertwine the paths of the two sisters - including Elinor's as she falls for her sister-in-law's older brother Edward Ferrars (George McKay, a handsome mummy of a man). At times, Marian's emotional breakdown in the second act fades from the rest of the picture, but the threads come together beautifully in a thrilling finale that's tear-jerking but never manipulative or overly sentimental.

The film opens when the three Dashwood sisters, including the youngest Margaret (Buddy Rae Britnach), and their mother (Caitriona Balfe) are overwhelmed with bad news: Mr. Dashwood's death has left them impoverished, as his son from a previous marriage, John (Tom Brooke), joins him with a very nice husband. Stacey Martin Burr) to claim the estate. Enter the gossipy widow Mrs. Jennings (Fiona Shaw, a perfectly pitch-perfect cast) barely putting a dock together at her family's Devonshire cottage while the Dashwoods put the pieces back together.

There is social and internal pressure on the Dashwood sisters to marry, and to do so quickly, but in every Austen story, the path is tainted and blocked by obstacles and second-guessing. Like Dylan's sly, sly Willoughby, who literally sweeps Marian off her injured leg and into a confusing, schoolyard kind of sudden messy romance. Dylan's performance is very different from his equally excellent turn as a London roughneck in Harris Dickinson's English directorial debut Josiah - you can see the appeal here, even as something sinister and vaguely nasty beneath his grinning lothario. He is the type of man who is unlikely to ever comfort a good woman. Unlike McKay's escapees, who are apparently more loyal and blameless, both of these, in their own ways, end up touching the Dashwoods.

"You're always right, and I wish you weren't," Marianne whispers to Elinor as her love life crumbles. Eleanor is more than willing to suppress her feelings, except when, after daring to try again and court the elopement, she is violently attacked by the elopement for her perceived impropriety. She is said to be engaged to a mountaineer far more in the community. But the sensual vibrancy between Elinor and Ferrarese between their meetings both secretly doesn't provide at least one romantic pairing to root for.

The emotional agony of being challenged by social boundaries is always a subject of Austen's fascination, and here it's palpable in the film's production design and costuming range, but it's never quite pretty. Oakley's Turn isn't one of those sad-era romances about repressed emotions—yes, they exist, but the Dashwoods are always actively pushing against their station.

While the latest "Sense and Sensibility" needs the test of time to reveal its endurance against the 1995 film that defined Ang Lee, Austen fans will be delighted here. As we hope, those new to his well-crafted characters and environments may reflect our contemporary pandering to true love and quiet courtship, but Oakley never overwhelms the modern in a good, classic story.

Focus Features opens "Sense and Sensibility" on Friday, October 16 in the US.