Clarissa (2026) Review – A Divided Story With Uneven Appeal

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“Clarissa” Film Details

• Director(s): Chuko Esiri, Arie Esiri
• Writer(s): Chuko Esiri
• Based On Work By: Virginia Woolf
• Runtime: 2 Hour(s) and 5 Minutes
• Film Festival – NewFest [More Coverage Of The 2026 Film Festival]): October 22, 2026
• In Theaters: December 11, 2026
• Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Young Adult
• Content Rating: Not Rated

Movie Summary

Clarissa moves between three storylines. Modern-day Clarissa, a politician’s wife, is hosting a party, with some familiar faces from her early adulthood as surprise guests. Then there is Clarissa in her late teens or early twenties, navigating her place in the world and the dynamic between herself, Peter, Sally, and Richard.  The film largely explores why her old friends weren’t invited to the party she is hosting and why seeing them in modern times is such a shock.

Lastly, the film also follows a soldier named Septimus and his life in the less glamorous parts of Lagos, Nigeria. Where the last thought on his mind is a party, when his life is so chaotic, and he is expected not to show any mental, emotional, or physical signs of wear and tear.

Cast and Characters

• Established Clarissa (Sophie Okonedo)
• Twenty Something Clarissa (India Amarteifio)
• Septimus (Fortune Nwafor)
• Twenty Something Richard (Jable Osai)
• Twenty Something Peter (Toheeb Jimoh)
• Twenty Something Sally (Ayo Edebiri)

Review and Commentary

Who Is This For?

Those who enjoy films that feel like period dramas but are set in modern times, and that give you a sense of the lead character not only in modern times, but during their formative years.

Highlight(s)

Clarissa’s Younger Years [84/100]

While Sophie Okonedo gets a lot of attention for her role as Clarissa, I would submit India Amarteifio is the stronger draw. That’s not to take anything from Okonedo, but I feel like Amarteifio does far more than present a younger version of the lead character; she builds the foundation and creates the main reason to care about Clarissa as a character.

As you see her navigate her relationships with Peter, Sally, and Richard, that is what makes you care about Okonedo’s Clarissa. You want to see Clarissa at the tail end of her youth, with adulthood looming, trying to figure out whether there is a path where she can be happy, not just her parents, with her decisions. Because that’s the balance act that is interesting.

While Peter and Sally, and especially Richard, aren’t presented as people who, in a socio-economic sense, are wrong for Clarissa, you can’t ignore that Sally is a woman who Clarissa sometimes has a difficult relationship with. Peter is the writer, the dreamer, who holds many qualities Clarissa values, but may not be right. Then there is Richard, who is the practical choice. He would make Clarissa’s father proud and has a stable career path, but he isn’t that exciting. He is pure logic, with minimal emotion, and a partner is a requirement for his career rather than a choice based on feelings.

Seeing Clarissa try to figure out in her youth what choice to make, when none of them are perfect and require some form of sacrifice, is what makes the youth far more interesting than their mature, subtle, and often reserved, older counterparts. Which, by the way, isn’t to say Clarissa is hot-tailed and wild, just that she has a longer leash regarding what is expected of her, which lets her be curious and, for our viewing taste, more engaging to watch.

On The Fence

The Soldier’s Story [74/100]

A very loosely connected story in Clarissa is that of a soldier dealing with life as an active member of the Nigerian military, trying to deal with terrorists and gruesome moments. To me, the character Septimus could have been cut.

Yes, their story has meaning, especially in terms of showing the life of members of the armed services in Nigeria and their unique challenges. But I think the story clashes too much with Clarissa’s rather than complementing it. For as much as you could present it as how those not born into wealth or status live, the lack of time and cohesion undercuts the seriousness of Septimus’ story.

Be it the corruption that appears to be undermining his unit’s ability to fight, his struggles to have a normal life, or the decline in his mental health. Pairing that with Clarissa’s uncertainty about who might make a good partner, while she tries to maintain her autonomy, creates a stake imbalance. One that pushes the idea that Septimus needs their own movie.

Clarissa, In Modern Times, Leans Heavily On The Youth To Setup Your Interest In Her Story [72/100]

As the highlights show, Clarissa in modern times isn’t the draw of the movie. She offers what epilogues are for: a sense of what happened after all the young Clarissa did. Who did she choose, why, is she happy? Did she ever see Peter or Sally again? If she did, how did it go?

Thankfully, we get answers to most of these questions, but it still feels like the time spent in adulthood doesn’t necessarily produce genuine interest in the stage of life Clarissa is in. You don’t find yourself taking particular note of her relationship with her daughter or husband, or really any of her interactions. Her life feels settled, and her longing for the past pushes you to care more about her past than her present.

I would even go as far as to say, between the split between Clarissa’s younger years, established years, and Septimus’ story, the established Clarissa has the storyline you could pass on the most.

Overall

Our Rating (76/100): Mixed (Divisive)

What hurts Clarissa is the imbalance among its three stories. The present-day Clarissa, which should anchor the film, is the least engaging, while young Clarissa and Septimus are compelling but compete for space. The performances and storylines are strong, yet none gets enough room to fully develop. That’s why I have mixed feelings about the movie.

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