MOVIE TITLE: Seven Veils

This dramatic mystery opens in theaters on March 7, 2025

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 47 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The Canadian thriller was directed and written by Atom Egoyan. This is the second movie Amanda Seyfried has been in that was directed by Atom Egoyan. The real opera was in production while this movie was being filmed, allowing both projects to use the same sets. Clever.

The story is about an earnest theater director who has the task of remounting her former mentor’s most famous work, the opera Salome. Some disturbing memories from her past allow her repressed trauma to color the present.

The story of Salame’s dance in the court of King Herod is based on Mark 6:22 and Matthew 14, which led to the beheading of John the Baptist.

Already, the film has been nominated for several awards, including Best Director, Best Female Actor, and Best Supporting Female Actor.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

This movie is not appropriate for kids.
Kids will be extremely bored.
Quite a bit of implied sexual content.
A theatrical suicide is portrayed.
Lesbians are portrayed.
Talk of several illicit affairs.

THEMES:

Forgiveness
Abuse
Love
Bad behavior in the name of art
Revenge
Innocence
Trauma
Obsession with things you can’t have
Exploitation
Passion vs. punishment
The ghosts that haunt us

THINGS I LIKED:

Atom Egoyan has directed many operas during his career, the first being Salome in 1996. He began directing film in the 1980s and often wondered if he could combine his love for both media. That’s exactly what he does in this movie, and very well I might add!
Amanda Seyfried did an outstanding job and also looks fantastic. She is a lovely singer, so it would have been fun to hear her sing a little bit during the opera scenes.
The rest of the cast is also terrific and includes Rebecca Liddiard, Douglas Smith, Mark O’Brien, Vinessa Antoine, and Lanette Ware, among many others.
Some of the actors in the real opera are also in the movie such as Ambur Braid and Michael Kupfer-Radecky.
The title of the film is appropriate because it alludes to the fact that some truths are veiled or hidden in this multi-layered movie. A veil has traditionally been a symbol of a covering that represents modesty, authority, consecration, and fidelity. The actual term “dance of the seven veils” was used in the 1891 stage production of Salome by Oscar Wilde. There are many interpretations of the phrase throughout history; I’d love to have a conversation with the director to learn which meanings he has applied to the title!
We see visuals on a screen that illustrate what Salome and Jeanine have gone through.
The film premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film.
Several characters are faced with moral dilemmas; it’s fascinating to see how they handle them.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Those who don’t enjoy opera might not like this film either.
The film is extremely “artsy-fartsy”. Some viewers may not appreciate it or understand it. Some will be bored and think it’s overly pretentious. Others will think it’s brilliant.
Many viewers will find they won’t be able to relate to most of the characters in the movie.

FUNNY LINES:

None. This is a serious drama.

INTERESTING LINES:

“I’ve been asked to make this personal, so I shall.” – Jeanine (Amanda Seyfried)
“Take away one sense and others are heightened.” – Jeanine (Amanda Seyfried)
“You’re worthy of being loved.” – Jeanine (Amanda Seyfried)
“Nothing is clear to you right now except your pain.” – Jeanine (Amanda Seyfried)
“The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death.” – Jeanine (Amanda Seyfried)