It feels like the world is sorely lacking in romance right now, which means we’ve got to go back to the source — the queen of yearning, longing, witty banter and dramatic love confessions, Jane Austen. When we need her the most, Austen will always be there, reminding us that, back in the early 19th century, she created the rom-com template with her sharp novels that blended swooning, social commentary and sisterly affection. Many of her works have been adapted to the screen into some of our most beloved films and series; the latest is a new version of Austen’s debut novel “Sense and Sensibility,” directed by Georgia Oakley.

Director Ang Lee and writer/star Emma Thompson gave us a pretty perfect adaptation of the novel in 1995, with a star-studded cast including Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman. Thompson won an Oscar for her screenplay, so there’s a lot to live up to for Oakley and writer Diana Reid. This lush, earthy and embodied version emphasizes the wild girlishness of the Dashwood sisters, bare-faced, hair unkempt, and the textures of the world they inhabit. They are as likely to be wrestling in the grass, the juice of freshly picked berries staining their faces, as they are to be awaiting a suitor.

The four Dashwood women: sisters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles) and Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), along with their mother (Caitríona Balfe), find themselves in dire straits after the death of their father. In this era, the only way for women to secure a roof over their heads was to marry well, and Austen’s work is largely concerned with these financial questions and how they intersect with a young woman’s dream of falling in love.

It’s not just frivolity and flirtation driving these girls to write long letters to their crushes and dance at a ball — it’s survival. Though there’s no skimping on romance, Austen, and screenwriter Reid, constantly remind us of the structural realities of life for young women in this time period, and how they inform the choices they make, and the limited way they are allowed to move about the world.

As the practical eldest sister Elinor, lovely and intelligent, but self-effacing, Edgar-Jones is sensitive and quietly emotive, the reserved foil to her wild, tempestuous middle sister Marianne. Elinor’s timid courtship with Edward (George MacKay) grinds to a halt when the family has to move to a small seaside cottage, where her story is eclipsed by Marianne’s love triangle, between a rake named Willoughby (Frank Dillane) and the quiet passion of their neighbor Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum). Elinor tries to counsel and console Marianne, who can’t help but dramatically express her outsize emotions. However, Elinor, too restrained for her own good, could stand to learn a little bit from her somewhat hysterical sister, as her tendency to always try to do the “honorable” thing leads to miscommunication and her own heartache.

Edgar-Jones and MacKay, two rising English stars, are a natural choice for this material, and the rest of the cast is made up of exciting new faces. Dillane, who had a breakout performance in Harris Dickinson’s gritty drama “Urchin,” and Nordrum, a Norwegian actor whom the world discovered in “The Worst Person in the World,” are interesting choices for Marianne’s suitors. Dillane’s charming Willoughby exudes dangerous sex appeal, while Nordrum’s quietly serious Brandon slowly allows his passion to bloom under Marianne’s scrutiny. Creed-Miles makes Marianne an almost feral forest nymph, emotional and untethered.

Oakley and cinematographer Arnaud Potier utilize a handheld camera, bringing a human immediacy to the film. In the naturalistic spaces of the outdoors, Oakley focuses on small details of the natural world: bees, birds, plants and animals. Rich, textured interiors and practical lighting create authentic environments for the characters to inhabit, and the spaces, inside and out, are warm, inviting, comfortable, filled with people and pets. Despite its historical setting, the film feels distinctly modern, casual and so real; it’s the same matters of the heart that concern us now as they did then, and despite the antiquated language, the characters are relaxed and animated in a relatable way.

It’s the kind of movie that will inspire laughter, cheers, gasps, squeals of delight and satisfied sighs. Edgar-Jones shoulders the Elinor role in a performance that is as delicate as it is steely, alternating both her desire for true love and responsibility to her family. If Elinor lets her moral compass get in the way of her own happiness, Austen — through Reid and Oakley — sets our heroine on the right direction, because we all deserve a happy ending.

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'SENSE AND SENSIBILITY'

3.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG (for some thematic elements, partial nudity and brief violence)

Running time: 2:11

How to watch: In theaters Oct. 16

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