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Clarissa Review
Cannes film festival: Commanding performances and a great musical score underpin this seductive drama about regret, memory and young love
TL;DR
- The film is a Nigerian adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel 'Mrs Dalloway', set in Lagos and Abraka.
- It explores themes of life choices, regret, and the yearning to make sense of the past.
- Sophie Okonedo stars as Clarissa, a middle-aged woman organizing a party to reunite with old friends.
- Flashbacks depict younger Clarissa's complex relationships with Peter (Toheeb Jimoh) and Sally (Ayo Edebiri).
- The story of Septimus (Fortune Nwafor), a soldier suffering from PTSD, is woven into Clarissa's narrative.
- The film highlights themes of disillusionment, particularly Clarissa's marriage to a Shell employee.
- The Esiri brothers' direction is described as stylish and mesmeric, with commanding performances and a strong musical score.