Oscar Wilde’s tragedy,Salome, was first translated into opera in 1905 byRichard Strauss. Combining dramatic vibratos and a seductive orchestral arrangement, Strauss' opera is intense to say the least. Not only does it follow the titular character as she dances for her stepfather in exchange for the head of John the Baptist (all so that she might kiss his lips), but it also sees her demise after having her wish granted. When thinking about this production and the majestic music that accompanies it,the mere thought of bringing it to the screen through a fresh lens seems inconceivable. Yet,Atom Egoyantakes on this challenge brilliantlyin his latest film,Seven Veils.
Egoyan is known for conducting projects that examine the psycho-sexual behavior of its characters,a major example beingChloe, an erotic thriller he put out in 2010 featuringAmanda Seyfried. The pair once again collaborates inSeven Veils, with Seyfried playing an opera director fulfilling the death wish of her late theater professor (and lover) by remountingSalome, his most-praised opera staging. Although the film examines the protagonist’s creative process behind-the-scenes, it also shows how cathartic this experience is to her, interweaving her story and that of Strauss' tragic heroine.This unique take on the play, focusing on how art can imitate life and vice versa, makes Egoyan’s directorial effort compelling and at times convoluted.
Amanda Seyfried Immersive Performance Is a Gateway to Her Character’s Inner Turmoil
A few minutes intoSeven Veils, Jeanine (Seyfried) is appointed by Beatrice (Lanette Ware) to directSalome, years after she helped Beatrice’s husband stage it. However, there is a catch. She’s supposed to make this remount personal, and she isn’t fully aware of what this ominous request really means. As Jeanine directs the ensemble and tries to honor Charles’ version while leaving her imprint on it,she is faced with some of her inner demons. Taking on the role of a director for the first time is not an easy task to uphold, especially when certain aspects of a production are resonant with one’s own lived experience. In the protagonist’s case, the abuse she endured from her father as a child comes back to haunt her when she sees in Salome a bit of herself, and is specifically triggered by the opera’s emblematic finale: the Dance of the Seven Veils.
From playing the girl next door inJennifer’s BodytoElizabeth Holmes inThe Dropout, Amanda Seyfried has consistently proven that she’s willing to experiment in her craft, and she does just that in this role. While playing Jeanine — a woman who urges people to give her a chance to prove herself despite being hesitant about her own capability —Seyfried lets her luminous, green eyes do the talking. The actress' facial expressions help to convey the character’s sense of despair when she is reminded of her dark past as well as her drive to reclaim parts of her story that were appropriated by her mentor in his staging ofSalome. As the film progresses, Jeanine evolves from questioning whether she can take on this responsibility, to having to reckon with her trauma, and then ultimately achieving her goal of making the opera her own.
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While Jeanine helmsSalome,Seven Veilsalso draws focus on Clea (Rebecca Liddiard), a woman who works in the prop department and is responsible for making a replica of the head of the actor playing Jochanaan (aka John the Baptist). As she does her job and documents it through a series of videos on her phone, the character is put in a tough spot when the actor she is working closely with crosses the line. Although this subplot raises valid concerns about harassment in the workplace,it detracts from the main arc in Egoyan’s film. After all, the protagonist has several dilemmas of her own, some of which are underdeveloped and would’ve likely benefited from the screen time dedicated to Clea. For instance, when Jeanine is out of town bringing the opera to life, she begins to suspect that her husband might be cheating on her. Yet, this is never further inspected and neither is the extent of the main character’s affair with Charles. Every time someone asks Jeanine what it was like to work alongside him or try to get an inside scoop on their scandalous rendezvous, she chokes. Instead of filling in some of the blanks, Egoyan opts to make key moments ambiguous, which may or may not satisfy certain audience members.
Atom Egoyan Finds the Balance Between Opera and Film in ‘Seven Veils’
Despite some detours from Jeanine’s complex journey,the director excels in bringing a controversial opera to the screen through a unique angle. On top of his filmmaking, Egoyan has always maintained a footing in the opera realm, having directed two stagings ofSalomeduring his career. The first one was in 1996, and the second was in 2023, meaning that he was both directing the film and overseeing the opera’s theatrical run simultaneously. This meta vein ofSeven Veilsmight be a messy concept, but Egoyan manages to make it work. By interweaving elements of his own experience as the production’s director in real life and coming up with parallels between Jeanine’s backstory and Salome’s, the filmmaker provides a bold take on a well-known tale.
Alas, it’s possible to affirm that Egoyan’s reunion with Seyfried 15 years after shootingChloewas well worth the wait.Seven Veilsis an intense psychodrama, enriched by Seyfried’s magnetism and the director’s ability to piece together the content of Strauss' opera with the protagonist’s repressed memories. Its breathtaking cinematography and eerie score add texture to the film’s dramatic turn of events, as well as allow for there to be a difference between the opera as it were for a live audience and the opera presented on a screen. Although the project offers a gripping character study, inspecting the blurred lines between art and life, it does fall through when it comes to balancing Clea’s arc with the main character’s nuanced journey. Leaving certain aspects of the story open to interpretation, Egoyan’s most recent work will surely appeal to those who don’t mind having far more questions than spoon-fed answers by the time the credits roll.
Seven Veilscomes to theaters on March 7.
Seven Veils
Atom Egoyan’s latest psychodrama is a unique outlook on Richard Strauss' operatic tragedy.
Seven Veils is a drama film by writer-director Atom Egoyan and premiered in September of 2023 at the Toronto International Film Festival before a 2025 theatrical release. Amanda Seyfried stars as Jeanine, a young theater director who inherits the much-revered production of Salome after her mentor dies. Forced to reconcile with her past to manage her current tumultuous present, Jeanine reorganizes her life as the lives of others in the production experience their own troubles - on and off the stage.
