Cinetic Media
Crave
Ego Film Arts
Elevation Pictures
Not part of a collection.
Seven Veils
Jeanine, an earnest theatre director, has been given the task of remounting her former mentor’s most famous work, the opera Salome. Haunted by dark and disturbing memories from her past, she allows her repressed trauma to color the present as she re-enters the opera world after so many years away.
- Original title
- Seven Veils
- Language
- EN
- Country
- CA
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
Brent Marchant
Apr 30, 2025 · via TMDB
Author/poet/playwright Oscar Wilde is widely renowned for his observation that “Life imitates art” (or, more precisely, as the full quote maintains, that “Life imitates art far more often than art imitates life”). But is that statement indeed true? In many ways, it seems that both propositions are just about equally valid these days. And that’s a pervasive theme – from both perspectives – that runs through the latest feature from writer-director Atom Egoyan. The film tells the story of a theatrical director (Amanda Seyfried) who takes on the challenge of mounting a new production of the Richard Strauss opera Salome (a work ironically based on an Oscar Wilde play of the same name), a revival based on a previous version staged by her former mentor and now-deceased unrequited love. The opera, in turn, serves up a musical interpretation of the Biblical tale of prophet John the Baptist (Michael Kupfer-Radecky) and Judean Princess Salome (Ambur Braid), perhaps best known for her erotically charged “Dance of the Seven Veils” and who asks her stepfather, King Herod (Michael Schade), to present her with the holy man’s head on a silver platter when he spurns her romantic advances. Ironically, the director’s personal story uncannily parallels that of the operatic subject matter she’s now in the process of staging, presenting her, as well as many other members of her cast and production team, with an opportunity to examine themselves, their circumstances and the ghosts of their long-ignored pasts. In a sense, this scenario thus provides all concerned with a chance to work through their respective long-unresolved (and often-interrelated) issues, a de facto form of art therapy not unlike that explored in films like “Black Swan” (2010). Unfortunately, the narrative is overloaded with story threads and at times becomes a little too intricate and cumbersome for its own good. What’s more, after a while, the myriad connections linking these various subplots start to seem a tad convenient and contrived to be believable, regardless of how interesting they may each be in and of themselves. This tends to bog down the flow of the picture, which is unfortunate in light of the film’s promising premise, intriguing production design, and fine performances by its ensemble cast, particularly Seyfried and Rebecca Liddiard as the production’s property master. In all truthfulness, none of this is meant to suggest that this is an awful film; indeed, “Seven Veils” genuinely borders on being a truly engaging, memorable, well-crafted work. However, with so much going on, it tries to cover too much ground, which, if it had been judiciously pared down, could have made for an outstanding release. As it stands now, though, this is a case of an ambitious filmmaker not quite knowing when to quit trying so hard and not realizing that sometimes there’s no need to go overboard in trying to impress viewers.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Amanda Seyfried
Jeanine
Rebecca Liddiard
Clea
Douglas Smith
Luke
Mark O'Brien
Paul
Vinessa Antoine
Rachel
Ambur Braid
Ambur/Salome
Tara Nicodemo
Nancy
Maia Jae
Dimitra
Lynne Griffin
Margot
Lanette Ware
Beatrice
Maya Misaljevic
Lizzie
Joey Klein
Charlie
Karita Mattila
Herodias
Ryan McDonald
Harold
Douglas Koch
Additional Photography
Paul Sarossy
Director of Photography
Alicia Turner
Stunt Coordinator
Sarah Polley
Thanks
Atom Egoyan
Director
Jason Knight
Casting
John Buchan
Casting
Aram Tertzakian
Executive Producer
John Sloss
Executive Producer
Noah Segal
Executive Producer
Atom Egoyan
Producer
Kevin Krikst
Producer
Niv Fichman
Producer
Mychael Danna
Original Music Composer
Atom Egoyan
Screenplay
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