Seven Veils: A Tale of Theatre and Transformation

One of the most crucial names in modern Canadian cinema is Armenian-Canadian writer/director Atom Egoyan, a filmmaker who made a name for himself over the years through such works as Chloe, Exotica, and The Sweet Hereafter. After struggles finding distribution following its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, his latest, Seven Veils, is now upon us. The story centers around Jeanine (Seyfried), a rising star theater director who returns to her old stomping grounds, the venue where she earned her stripes working for her mentor, to direct an opera she has worked on before, ‘Salome’ by Richard Strauss and Oscar Wilde. The opera tells the story of a young woman who dances for her stepfather in exchange for the head of a prophet. Over the course of the film, the narrative onstage slowly bled into that of the film as the complicated backstory of the Jeanine’s relationship with her director mentor began to manifest across her relationship with her actors and crew.

With Seven Veils, Egoyan uses the limited spatiality of the theatrical environment to create a sense of suffocation in the characters’ personal lives. The make-up and the artisan workshop become where unprofessional thoughts and actions happen. The directing booth is the stage of confrontation between the artists’ ego and the directorial vision. All of the situations all make for a dilemma that adds moral doubt to each of their characters. The directing creates a narrative that encounters the past traumas with the moral compass of the present, as Jeanine becomes tied to her history and future. The directing establishes closed spaces to allude to claustrophobia, more visibility in an oppressing podcast interview when the host confronts her indelicately about her relationship with the director. There is a symbolism in her role in remaking that opera; it is a massive opportunity and a punishment for her sins.

Nevertheless, there is a dependence on how the tension intertwines with its subplots. Egoyan presents diverse moral inadequacies that create a clash in those segments; however, it does not develop certain characters and their backgrounds. An example is Clea (Liddiard), the artisan responsible for the decapitated head of John the Baptist. She wants a specific actor to have the opportunity to lead the opera, and she uses an act of violence she suffered as bargain currency for it. Nonetheless, Egoyan does not develop her desires. She is solely the means of success to others and not hers, and the lack of context of her past shallows her actions. This unidimensionality also affects other characters that serve a precise purpose to move the narrative, even if it means they do not have a history of their own. It leads to a story with plenty of fascinating individuals and situations, but shortchanges the lead’s story.

Seven Veils encounters its most engaging moments, both narratively and visually, when it immerses itself into Jeanine’s psyche. Diving back into her history of abuse as a child, those events would eerily mirror that of Strauss and Wilde’s work. Egoyan employs the symbolic use of the blood on the stage to the emotions that she feels, the lack of support in her traumatic moments. The theatricality allows audiences to connect with the metaphors of her pain. Meanwhile, Mychael Danna’s score delivers a symphonic work that emulates the confusion in the collective psyche of the setting. He boosts the dramatic core by presenting a sound more cohesive to its ideas than the writing.

In the end, as a commentary on artistic pressure and dealing with one’s inner demons, Seven Veils has its most memorable and fascinating moments. The moral duality and the connection between the opera and life motivate audiences to engage in the story. However, at times, Egoyan is more interested in creating a thread of immorality and confrontations that does not work, for the most part, and decrease the impact of a psychological thriller that could have been more impactful.

still courtesy of Elevation Pictures

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Pedro Lima

Brazilian film writer. He is also a producer and executive producer for Zariah Filmes. Member of the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), International Documentary Association (IDA), and Gotham and Media Film Institute.