Sophie Okonedo stars in Clarissa, a Lagos-set adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s celebrated novel Mrs. Dalloway, from Nigerian twin filmmakers Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri,
The film also stars David Oyelowo, Ayo Edebiri, India Amarteifio, Toheeb Jimoh, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Jude Akuwudike and Fortune Nwafor.
Set in contemporary Nigeria, Clarissa follows a woman whose party preparations become an unexpected journey into her past, as former friends and lovers bring memories of youthful choices, passionate relationships, and lost possibilities back into the present.
Clarissa made its world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in Directors’ Fortnight, followed by screenings at the TAURON New Horizons International Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival before making its North American premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. It also screened at the Calgary International Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival and is part of the 64th New York Film Festival Main Slate, where it is making its U.S. premiere.
NEON will release Clarissa in select U.S. theaters on December 11, 2026.
Across a single day in Lagos, Nigeria, Clarissa (Sophie Okonedo) prepares to host a high society party at her home, as her complicated past begins to consume her, in the form of now-distant friends and loves from her youth. Simultaneously, Septimus (Fortune Nwafo[r]), a young soldier, is haunted by his own memories of the horrors he has witnessed and endured. As the perspectives traverse past and present, across the bourgeois class and those too easily forgotten by society, a delicate portrait of contemporary Nigeria emerges. Directors Arie and Chuko, adapting Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, take the renowned source material and deliver a unique and deeply felt story.
In its Cannes review, Screen Daily’s Robert Daniels called the film “a boldly executed and eloquent reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s landmark novel that pushes her critiques of colonialism, class and isolation with renewed fervor.” The review also highlighted the performances, writing, “Okonedo and Oyelowo give affecting performances as star-crossed lovers who can’t quite own up to their mistakes.” It continued, “Together they give Clarissa a touching guardedness that might not offer the spit and fire of Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, but certainly understands the permanent heartache and the poeticism of a life deferred.”
Watch the official trailer for Clarissa above.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.