Manny The Movie Guy /

Director Cary Fukunaga, fresh from the success of "Sin Nombre," changed course and decided to work on the 19th feature film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre. While both movies are different in tone, they are similar in spirit.

Much like "Sin Nombre," "Jane Eyre" is ultimately about wanting to belong. Our heroine, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska from "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Kids Are All Right"), is an orphan looking for her place in the sun.

(Check out my "Jane Eyre" interviews with director Cary Fukunaga, Michael Fassbender, and Mia Wasikowska)

The script by Moira Buffini ("Tamara Drewe") played with the novel’s construction. Instead of a linear narrative structure from Jane’s childhood to her governess job at Thornfield, this new "Jane Eyre" starts with a mystery and then spends the next two hours unraveling the secrets.

Wasikowska is not only picture-perfect as our undaunted Jane, but she also gets the character’s emotional pathos. The first time we see her, she’s crying and rushing to leave Thornfield Hall. The tears coming out of her eyes are sorrowful, but one can also see relief. Wasikowska embodies the see-saw of emotion perfectly!

Matching Wasikowska is Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester, the master of the house. He initially calls Jane a witch after he blames a horse-riding accident on her. But soon, both are enjoying each other’s company.

Completing the cast is Dame Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax, the caretaker of Thornfield Hall. She is also the keeper of the house’s secret. Why is Jane hearing strange laughter in the middle of the night? And how will this affect her budding relationship with Mr. Rochester?

At the heart of Jane Eyre the novel, is a melodramatic fairy tale about an orphan who finds love. But at the able hands of Fukunaga, the melodramatic inklings of the book have been toned down in favor of gothic and romance.

Fukunaga succeeded in combining both gothic and romantic elements in order to come up with one of the most definitive film versions of the novel. This "Jane Eyre" version is very close to the Robert Stevenson-directed adaptation starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine.

The chemistry between Wasikowska and Fassbender is so palpable, you can feel their passion for one another. Fassbender, who will next be seen as the young Magneto in this summer’s "X-Men: First Class," is wonderful as the dashingly mysterious Mr. Rochester.

The cinematography by Adriano Goldman ("City of Men," "Conviction") is also commendable. "Jane Eyre" is about relationships and each scene is shot to focus on characters.

Dario Marianelli’s ("Eat Pray Love," "The Brave One") original score also adds to the haunting mood of the film. Each musical instrument mirrors the material’s cacophony of failed affairs.

Brontë’s beloved novel may have been told nineteen times on the big screen and nine times on the small screen, but this bold new feature version has a contemporary immediacy that you can’t help but fall in love with the movie.