It was written by Philip and Belinda Haas with A. S. Byatt after her 1992 novella Morpho Eugenia (included in her book Angels and Insects).

William Adamson, a naturalist, returns to Victorian England, staying with his benefactor, Sir Harold Alabaster, a wealthy Baronet.

Now dependent upon his patron, William is employed to catalog Sir Harold's specimen collection and teach his younger children the natural sciences, assisting their governess, the unassuming Matty Crompton.

Although Sir Harold grants his approval, Eugenia's snobbish and spoilt brother Edgar dislikes William's humble origins.

Expressing frustration at her life and dependency on the Alabasters, Matty reveals that she has published her own book on the insects and has bought tickets for a ship for the Amazon.

[4] In the marriage proposal scene, Patsy Kensit's gown was treated with female sex hormones to attract the moths to her.

Janet Maslin claimed the film had "...formidable intensity and haunting beauty" and Roger Ebert awarded it 3.5 stars out of 4.

[8][9] Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle thought that Haas directed the film "...with elegance and control, and seasons the sexier, more melodramatic elements of his tale with subtle, slightly mocking irony.

"[10] Time Out concluded that Angels and Insects "...is not your average period drama...the costumes, design, music and camerawork steer clear of naturalism, highlighting both the modernity of the approach and the notions of humans as creatures to be observed dispassionately.