Seven Veils is a film about an opera. It’s more than that, however. It’s the story of two young women dealing with their trauma through opera. It’s also the story of male abuse in its different forms and how that physically and metaphorically manifests itself in the lives of the women who receive the abuse. Writer/director Atom Egoyan, through the lens of opera, directs a unique film where nothing is quite what it seems, leading Amanda Seyfried in her excellent performance through something that often feels like it’s not grounded while also not being committed to being fully mystical.
Seven Veils Review
Seven Veils opens on a brooding one-shot of Jeanine (Seyfried) walking around an opera building at night. An immediate aura of mystery is sustained by a slow violin. It’s clear that something is wrong, or at least will be wrong. This is one of those films with a constant sense of dread threaded throughout. It’s hard to say exactly what’s happening at all times.
Jeanine has recently received an enormous task – reintroducing Richard Strauss’ classic 20th-century opera, Salome, a musical retelling of John the Baptist’s downfall through the seduction of Herodias’ daughter, Salome. The opera isn’t just a backdrop for the movie; it’s the core of it all. Egoyan credits the real-life opera, its composer, and its stars as a key part in the film’s credits, showing us how important to this story it is, unlike any other film about the production of an opera.
Meanwhile, Clea (Rebecca Liddiard), the opera’s props master, is tasked with dealing with Johan (Michael Kupfer-Radecky), the stubborn and abusive man playing John the Baptist in the opera. His relationship with both Jeanine and Clea puts them to the limit, leading both to discover how to stand up in the face of misogyny.
On top of the mounting pressure of the opera, the difficulty her leading actor is getting her, and the constant flow of bad memories with her father rearing their ugly head, Jeanine copes with her partner cheating on her. Seyfried excellently portrays the pressure getting to her, moving through it with an essential sense of purpose and not losing her mind, as many other protagonists might.
Seven Veils is a film that leaves a lot to the audience. It has mystery and intrigue, mainly through the extensive use of metaphor Egoyan works to evoke from his characters. The problem with a film like this is that it’s inherently much more challenging. Thankfully, though the film feels interested in leaving so much to the imagination, he grounds it at moments.
The moments where the story is straightforward and the characters speak literally feel like a lifesaver float being thrown to us in the confusing ocean that is this story. It’ll help alleviate confusion for those who aren’t able to piece everything together but simultaneously prevent the most profound meaning of the film from being evoked by the viewers of the film. Is it a worthwhile tradeoff to make the movie comprehensible in an attempt to make it more accessible? In this author’s eyes, it is.
The unnerving score often feels a little overwhelming. As Seyfried delivers simple yet moving monologues, the orchestral backing ensures every scene feels very offputting. Like the film’s move through the literal and the metaphorical, the score tries to say too much. Sure, it makes each scene thump in your chest, but it also brings an overly dour mood to everything.
Is Seven Veils worth watching?
Through any criticism of this film, the acting rises above as a clear knockout. Fresh off her Emmy win for The Dropout, Seyfried is at her best here. She’s the emotional throughline of the film and brings us in with her warmth, charm, and emotional availability. Liddiard, an up-and-coming Canadian actress, is similarly brilliant. As she’s tasked with whether or not she should reveal her abuse, her trials are made believable by her actress. The rest of the cast who play smaller parts, like Douglas Smith, Mark O’Brien, Vinessa Antoine, Ambur Braid, and Michael Kupfer-Radeck (Kupfer-Radeck in particular is a standout), are all very good.
By the time the credits roll, some of Seven Veils should be clear, and some will not. For those who love unwrapping mysterious films, this will surely enhance the experience. For those who hate trying to figure out what everything means, this is at least better than sitting completely in the dark. Egoyan’s interesting direction will leave you wondering, but Seyfried’s performance will make it clear: there’s a level of merit to make this a worthwhile watch.
Seven Veils is in select theaters on March 7.
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