Atom Egoyan: "Some viewers want absolute clarity, but I love feeling lost in the movies."

Opera and film are considered the great arts of their respective disciplines. Two very different ways of seeing the same work. The same book. The same feeling. Atom Egoyan (Egypt, 1960) has worked in operatic shows since the end of the 20th century and has written two new librettos. 'Exotica' (1994) was the film that launched his film career; since then, he has combined both facets. "The process of directing for the stage and for the screen is completely different. They are very different creative flows ." The Canadian film director of Armenian origin has combined his love for both subjects in a story, 'Seven Veils'.

The film follows Jeanine, played by actress Amanda Seyfried , a theater director who has to revive ' Salomé ', the most famous production of her recently deceased former mentor. The memories of her past plunge the viewer into a plot that, for its creator, leaves the feeling of "not being entirely sure what story is being told at any given moment," says Egoyan, who confirms that he is "excited" to achieve this feeling of confusion; although he is aware that: " some viewers want absolute clarity , but I love feeling lost in cinema, recovering images and meanings in unexpected ways."

This isn't the first time the director and American actress Amanda Seyfried have worked together. In 2009, they released "Chloe," an erotic melodrama co-starring Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson. Despite the years since that feature film, Egoyan says he immediately thought of her, " there was no one else I could imagine playing this complex and layered role. She's as expressive and unpredictable as the music of Richard Strauss ." The German composer is key to this film because he created the original opera; but he's not the only historical figure featured in this feature.

The Canadian also has kind words for the writer of the original libretto, Oscar Wilde . "I think the play 'Salome,' on which the opera is closely based, is one of the most personal dramas that this great writer wrote. And, of course, Strauss 's music was completely revolutionary at the time." Egoyan not only refers to them off-screen in this very personal way, but his film is a reflection of the admiration he feels for both. He devotes the first few minutes to a recital of the Irish writer's text—without music—and the final moments to the German composer's melodies—without text.

Atom Egoyan first directed this opera in 1996. It was a hit, and it has been revived constantly since then, but the last time something changed. " In 2023, I wanted to update my production ." It was a very ambitious idea because, in theater, due to time and budget constraints, it's very difficult to make major changes to established works. But the Canadian director wanted to "reenergize ideas—which were very fixed in a 1990s perspective—in the present day. Since I couldn't do that, I created a character who would make these changes based on her own personal vision, and it was very liberating, both for the character of Jeanine and for myself."

A part of Egoyan's personality is reflected in the film, and although the director claims he never instructed Seyfried to act like him, the actress observed him during rehearsals for the opera (which was performed just before filming). The Canadian claims that the physical involvement is much greater when directing in theater than when he's on a film set.

One of the most important aspects of 'Seven Veils' - available on Filmin since July 11 - is the depth given to the abuse and, for Egoyan, "what makes Jeanine's character unique is that nothing is hidden about the abuse she has suffered; everyone around her seems to know and is even willing to talk about it. What aligns her with Salomé is her decision to take action that seems to resolve these hidden feelings. These events are discussed from a very masculine perspective. For the director, these situations are known as "daddy issues." They transform her experience from seven perspectives that haunt her: "her father, her mentor, her husband, her actor, her lover, and, of course, the spirits of Oscar Wilde and Richard Strauss . 'Seven veils' of illusion." Despite everything, "love has become 'unhealthy,' but it remains just that, love."

Just over an hour and a half of film that takes us on a journey alongside Jeanine in a project that has transformed her. It offers a unique way to reconcile her past with her present. For Wilde, " the mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death ," this reflection would accompany the final chords of the music in the final shot. A moment that leaves everything in the hands of the protagonist and, for Atom Egoyan, signifies that " in the end, she chooses ."