Nia DaCosta came to prominence with her feature debut, writing and directing the crime thriller Little Woods (2018), starring Tessa Thompson, which earned her the Nora Ephron Prize for Female Filmmakers at the Tribeca Film Festival.
After directing two episodes of the British crime drama Top Boy (2019), DaCosta helmed the horror film Candyman (2021), becoming the first female Black director to have a movie debut at number one at the box office. Next, DaCosta directed The Marvels (2023), becoming the first Black woman to direct a Marvel movie which, despite being a box-office bomb, is still the highest-grossing film ever directed by a Black woman.
DaCosta has several movies on the way, including 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, releasing in theaters on January 16, 2026, and her new drama, which just debuted to rave reviews.
Hedda Debuts With Strong Rotten Tomatoes Score
Hedda has debuted with a strong Rotten Tomatoes score. Written and directed by Nia DaCosta, based on the 1891 play Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, the film follows a disenchanted housewife who, during a lavish social gathering, initiates a series of games with her guests, unleashing a whirlwind of manipulation, desire, and treachery that engulfs them all.
Emmy nominee Tessa Thompson stars in the тιтular role as Hedda Gabler, reuniting with Nia DaCosta after Little Woods, alongside Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, Nina Hoss, Kathryn Hunter, Finbar Lynch, Mirren Mack, Jamael Westman, and BAFTA nominee Saffron Hocking (Top Boy) in supporting roles.
Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, Hedda has debuted with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie only has 11 reviews at the time of writing, so its score should fluctuate as more are published. Hedda releases in select theaters on October 22 before streaming on Prime Video on October 29, so it won’t have an audience score until then.
What Hedda’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Means For The Movie
The movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score means that its reviews are overwhelmingly positive. For instance, in ScreenRant‘s Hedda review, Graeme Guttmann writes, “Tessa Thompson gives a stunning performance in Nia DaCosta’s arresting and seductive version of the tragic play.”
At the time of writing, nearly all the reviews are positive. There is only one negative review from Richard Lawson of The Guardian, who writes, “It’s an impressive feat of technical film-making, which has now become a hallmark of DaCosta’s work. But she caves to baser impulses in reinterpreting an old and, some might say, crusty play.”
Otherwise, the reviews are praising Nia DaCosta’s daring and sultry reimagining of the classic play, highlighting its bold theatricality, modern resonance, and refusal to soften the тιтle character. Critics are especially lauding Tessa Thompson’s magnetic and complex performance, which is unforgiving yet mesmerizing, while also celebrating Hedda‘s immersive energy and originality, despite its deliberate staginess.
