Clarissa Trailer: Sophie Okonedo Leads NEON’s Lagos-Set Mrs Dalloway Reimagining
NEON has released the first US trailer for Clarissa, a modern reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel Mrs Dalloway relocated from 1920s London to present-day Lagos, Nigeria. Directed by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri from a script by Chuko Esiri, the film stars Sophie Okonedo as society woman Clarissa, who prepares to host a party at her home where she unexpectedly reconnects with friends and former lovers from her youth. The trailer arrives ahead of a December 11 limited theatrical release.
A Starry, Dual-Timeline Cast
The film splits several roles across two timelines, pairing older and younger versions of its central friend group. Okonedo plays the adult Clarissa opposite India Amarteifio as her younger self, while David Oyelowo plays Peter, Clarissa’s former flame, with Toheeb Jimoh in the role in flashbacks. Nikki Amuka-Bird plays Clarissa’s estranged friend Sally as an adult, with Ayo Edebiri taking over the younger version. The ensemble also includes Fortune Nwafor, Jude Akuwudike, and Danny Sapani. The film was shot on 35mm on location in Lagos and Delta State.
From Cannes to a December Release
Clarissa premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a Queer Palm nomination, before screening at the New York Film Festival ahead of its theatrical run. The reception out of Cannes has been strong, with the film currently holding a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes across 20 reviews. It marks the second feature from the Esiri brothers, following their 2020 debut Eyimofe, which swept multiple African Movie Academy Awards including Best Director for Chuko Esiri.
David Oyelowo plays Peter, a former flame who resurfaces at Clarissa’s party.
Reimagining a Classic in Lagos
The Esiri brothers have spoken about transplanting Woolf’s single-day, stream-of-consciousness structure into a contemporary Nigerian setting, using the party framework to surface old regrets, unfulfilled desires, and the paths Clarissa didn’t take. Rather than a straightforward costume-drama adaptation, the pitch leans on Lagos high society as its own kind of stage, with the same themes of repression and memory that defined Woolf’s novel now filtered through a Nigerian lens. NEON picked up worldwide rights shortly after the film’s Cannes premiere.
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Picture Source: Vera de Kok (CC BY-SA 4.0), Tyler Boye (CC BY-SA 4.0)
