Sophie Okonedo shines as a Lagos society hostess in this vibrant contemporary update of Mrs Dalloway.

Clarissa is preparing to host an important party at her beautiful Lagos home. But as the guests begin to arrive, the day sends her back into memories of her youth — and the choices that shaped the life she has now. When she is reunited with Peter, the poet she once loved, and Sally, a woman with whom she shared a complicated friendship, old feelings and unfinished business come rushing back.

Nigerian twin filmmakers Arie and Chuko Esiri (Eyimofe – This Is My Desire) give Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway a sunny Nigerian setting, moving between Clarissa’s present-day party and the summer that changed everything. Sophie Okonedo is superb at the centre of it, with David Oyelowo, Ayo Edebiri and India Amarteifio adding to a terrific cast. Shot on 35mm and filled with colour, music and atmosphere, Clarissa is a tender, bittersweet story about love, memory and wondering what might have been.

“Exquisite and moving, Clarissa is Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway transported to present day Lagos, with a lot of superb assets: a chiefly British cast, led by the luminous Sophie Okonedo in the title role, and photography to die for” – Daily Telegraph

“An invigorating film containing some of the year’s finest cinematic sleight of hand, and its most captivating performances” – Observer

“A boldly executed and eloquent reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s landmark novel that pushes her critiques of colonialism, class and isolation with renewed fervor” – Screen

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Credits:

Actor

Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo, Ayo Edebiri

Director

Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri

UK Distributor

A24

Running Time: 125 min

Year: 2026

Country: United States, Nigeria

Languages: English

Subtitles: No subtitles

Recomended Age: 15

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