Films

Director Nia DaCosta (Candyman) reimagines Henrik Ibsen’s play Hedda Gabler with audacious style, relocating the story to 1950s England and placing Tessa Thompson (Passing) at the center of a lavish yet suffocating world. Newly married to the well-meaning but timid George (Tom Bateman), Hedda finds herself trapped in domesticity she never wanted. Her restlessness ignites when former lover Eileen Lovborg (Nina Hoss) arrives with a new book, a new partner (Imogen Poots), and a new life Hedda cannot control.

What follows is a sumptuous, volatile party that careens between delectable moments of manipulation, seduction, and destruction. With striking cinematography, opulent and exquisite production design, and a magnetic performance from Thompson, Hedda tenders a bold feminist reworking of Ibsen’s classic—a thrilling portrait of a woman determined to be free on her own terms, no matter the cost.

Discussion with production designer Cara Brower (Craft Award for Production Design).

This film will be presented with Open Captions visible on screen. For more information, visit VAFF Accessibility.