Neon has given a Dec. 11 release date to Clarissa, the Cannes breakout drama from twin-brother directing duo Arie and Chuko Esiri, with new images from the critically acclaimed film now available.
A bold reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s landmark 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway, the film transposes the story from 1920s London to present-day Lagos, following society woman Clarissa as she prepares to host a party at her home, where she unexpectedly reunites with once-intimate friends from her youth. Over the course of a single night, the group revisits memories of passionate love, hidden desire, and lost ambition that build toward a bittersweet reckoning.
The title role is split across two performers and two eras. Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo plays Clarissa in the present, while Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story breakout India Amarteifio takes on the younger version. Both have drawn significant critical attention since the film’s world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes, where it became only the second Nigerian feature ever selected in the festival’s history.
The ensemble, assembled by Academy Award-nominated casting director Nina Gold, includes Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo, Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri, Emmy nominee Toheeb Jimoh, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Fortune Nwafor, Jude Akuwudike, Danny Sapani, Modesinuola Ogundiwin, Kehinde Cardoso, Jable Osai (Ogranya), and Joke Silva, among others.
The film was directed by Arie and Chuko Esiri and written by Chuko, marking the brothers’ second feature following their debut Eyimofe (This Is My Desire). It was produced by Theresa Park of Per Capita Productions and Nicholas Weinstock of Invention Studio alongside the directors. The creative team includes cinematographer Jonathan Bloom, editor Blair McClendon (Aftersun), composer Kelsey Lu, costume designer Eniola Dawodu, and production designer Hanrui Wang. The film was shot entirely in Nigeria.
The December date plants Clarissa firmly in awards season for Neon, which has won Best Picture twice in the last seven years with Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite and Sean Baker’s Anora. The studio is coming off a strong showing at this year’s Academy Awards, where it landed Best Picture nominations for both the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value, which went on to win Best International Feature Film, and the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent. Its current slate also includes Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner Fjord, James Gray’s Paper Tiger, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes prize winner All of a Sudden, and the recently announced Luca Guadagnino drama Artificial with Andrew Garfield.