100 Nights of Hero Review — A Lush, Romantic Fairy Tale Brought Brilliantly to Life
100 Nights of Hero (2025), directed by Julia Jackman and starring Emma Corrin and Maika Monroe, transforms Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel into a vivid, romantic, and deeply imaginative fairy-tale adventure. Read our full review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)
100 Nights of Hero
Directed by Julia Jackman
Written by Julia Jackman
Starring Maika Monroe, Nicholas Galitzine, Emma Corrin
A Fairy Tale Where Storytelling Is Survival
100 Nights of Hero, directed and written by Julia Jackman, stars Emma Corrin and Maika Monroe as Hero, the fiercely loyal maid and protector to Cherry, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy family. Cherry (played with quiet, wounded grace by Monroe) has recently married Jerome (Amir El-Massry), a husband who seems indifferent to her existence — a dangerous problem in this particular fairy-tale world.
Based on Isabel Greenberg’s novel, the society of 100 Nights of Hero punishes a failure to conceive a child with death. Cherry’s inability to consummate her marriage places her directly in harm’s way, even as she tries to maintain a brave, cheerful façade
This fragile status quo unravels the moment Jerome’s friend Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) arrives at the castle. In a moment of masculine arrogance and cruelty, Jerome and Manfred make a wager: if Manfred can seduce Cherry within 100 days, he wins the castle — and Jerome wins an excuse to abandon his unwanted marriage.
The Seduction Wager — and a Counterattack of Words
Feeling Manfred’s predatory gaze narrowing in, Cherry turns to Hero for protection. Hero responds not with swords or strategy, but with story. Each night, she distracts Manfred by spinning an elaborate tale about a group of sisters who secretly taught themselves to read and write, passing forbidden knowledge through coded woven blankets.
The sisters’ story is rich and harrowing — a tale of independence, betrayal, and survival in a world frightened of educated women. When one sister’s husband suspects her literacy, all three are sentenced to execution, pushed from a cliff for daring to possess knowledge.
Jackman structures the film so that Hero’s storytelling becomes the real engine of the narrative. Manfred, intoxicated by the tale, loses track of days and inches ever further from the goal he’s sworn to reach. Even he becomes another audience member caught in Hero’s spell.
A Vivid, Musical, and Emotionally Charged Vision
Julia Jackman’s adaptation is vibrant, sensual, and endlessly inventive. Emma Corrin is a captivating Hero — playful, intense, and gifted with the kind of expressive storytelling presence that makes the film sing.
Jackman’s boldest flourish comes from integrating pop star Charli XCX as a fantastical figure within Hero’s story, bringing bursts of color, style, and musicality that feel both modern and mythic.
Visually, the film is stunning. Cinematographer Xenia Patricia paints every frame with bright, inviting textures, turning the world into a storybook you want to step inside. Felicity Jones serves as the narrator, and her warm, lilting voice adds the perfect touch of mischief and magic, heightening the fairy-tale atmosphere.
A Romantic, Imaginative Delight
There is far more to the relationship between Hero and Cherry than I want to reveal here — the emotional core of the film deserves to be discovered fresh. But 100 Nights of Hero is, quite simply, a delight: eccentric, romantic, a little sexy, and consistently entertaining.
I haven’t seen Julia Jackman’s previous film Bonus Track, but this has made me eager to seek it out. If her future work maintains even a fraction of the imagination and beauty displayed here, we are in for something special.
Tags:
100 Nights of Hero, Julia Jackman, Emma Corrin, Maika Monroe, Nicholas Galitzine, Isabel Greenberg, fantasy movies, fairy tale movies, 2025 films, film review, feminist fantasy, Vocal review
About the Creator
Sean Patrick
Hello, my name is Sean Patrick He/Him, and I am a film critic and podcast host for the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast I am a voting member of the Critics Choice Association, the group behind the annual Critics Choice Awards.
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