Clarissa
Through a fiery reimagining that transposes Mrs. Dalloway’s timeless story to contemporary Nigeria, Esiri brothers Arie and Chuko give new life to Virginia Woolf’s 1925 classic, an unparalleled study of existential feminine discontentment. A luminous, profoundly melancholic Sophie Okonedo plays the eponymous Lagos society woman, preparing for a high-profile party while the memory of a lazy yet passion-filled summer of her youth preoccupies her. In her astounding performance perched in the present but haunted by the intellectual and romantic echoes of the past, Okonedo sophisticatedly waltzes through the many grace notes of Clarissa, both presenting the perfect façade of her character and telegraphing the nostalgic undercurrent that’s been bruising her heart. Esiri brothers are surehanded in steering the tale’s immersive flashbacks seamlessly, while casting director Nina Gold’s touch is nothing short of miraculous across the two timelines. It’s radical work, deeply intentional in its heady interrogation of repressed desires, class divides, and sins of colonialism. —Tomris Laffly
Director/s
Chuko Esiri
Chuko Esiri is a native of Nigeria and a director, screenwriter, and producer, who attended New York University. In addition to his collaborations with his twin brother Arie, Chuko co-wrote the screenplay for the short film At Little Wheelies Three Days Ago (2022). Clarissa, for which he wrote the screenplay as well as co-directed with his brother, is his second feature film.
Arie Esiri
Arie Esiri and his twin brother Chuko were born in Warri, Nigeria, and grew up in Lagos. Arie graduated from Columbia University, completing two short films with his brother while he was in New York, Goose (2017) and Besida (2018). Solo, Arie directed Because Men in Silk Shirts on Lagos Nights (2018) and Midnight Woman in Harlem (2020). This Is My Desire (2020), made with his brother), marked his feature directing debut.
Expected Guests
SOPHIE OKONEDO: Actor
Tickets
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