The Last Day« reimagines Virginia Woolf's masterpiece in several ways «Mrs. Dalloway» . The directorial debut of acclaimed artist Rachel Rose, this gritty drama (premiering Saturday night at the Tribeca Film Festival) is set in contemporary New York City and features the title character, Clarissa, as Julia (Alicia Vikander), a writer bereft of creative inspiration and meaning in life while also coping with motherhood. Rose was inspired by her own experience with postpartum depression: after recovering from that period, she returned to «Mrs. Dalloway» on the advice of a friend and wrote the script a few months later.
The film's more ambitious move, however, lies in what it does with the second half of its story. It enhances—and gender-shifts—the role of Septimus, the traumatized veteran losing touch with reality, to act in parallel with Julia. "When I reread «Mrs. Dalloway» , I was so moved and shocked by Septimus, a character I had not previously perceived, that I now perceived him through the prism of my own experience, his manic mental pain and suffering.".
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Here, the role is reimagined: Taylor, a young mother of three, has a fleeting encounter with Julia at the beginning of the film and then tries to get on with her day. She is played by Victoria Pedretti, who rose to fame in the series "« You"» on Netflix, and then starred opposite Jeremy Strong in the Broadway production «"Enemy of the People"» . Her stunning performance perfectly matches the stern, laconic, and subtle character created by Woolf. "Victoria is so primal, and it's reflected in her perception of space and her body," says Rose.
What initially seems more like Julia's story, as one would expect from the interpretation «Mrs. Dalloway» , gradually shifts toward something darker and more complex: as Julia rediscovers herself, Taylor completely loses control of the situation, leading to a tragic ending that Pedretti portrays with intricate, heartbreaking emotional depth. She told the publication The Hollywood Reporter about how she managed to do it.
Have you read the script?« "Last Day"» , while on Broadway in a production «"Enemy of the People"» , which was obviously a very intense experience for you. What impression did it make on you in this context?
It's interesting. We'd been working on the play for several months by that point, so it was really nice to feel a surge of energy and inspiration from reading something new. I'm sure the inspiration from that reading came back to the play, especially when you're performing the same story every night. It's important to find different ways to connect with it and keep it fresh. It's not like the story was very similar. «"Enemy of the People"» , but anything that can plant the seeds of new ideas when you're working on the same story every night is great.
You have to delve into some very deep, dark places here. What specifically attracted you to this role?
When I finished writing the script, I was overcome with an overwhelming love for the character. I felt such love and protectiveness for Taylor, and I wanted to take charge of her story and protect her. There were definitely some things discussed in the meeting… well, I think there's too much emphasis on people playing things they've experienced, and I don't have children. I haven't experienced the hormonal changes of pregnancy and postpartum. There's no point in hiding that. I even considered the possibility that it might ruin my chances of playing Taylor.
But ultimately, our conversation mostly revolved around women and mothers in general, and how people create illusions of normalcy and perfection in their lives based on superficial things. A lot of this is because people don't understand what's going on with Taylor. We talked about how, for much of her life, she was probably very exceptional and, in many ways, led a very ordinary life, and was admired by many people for seemingly managing everything, but in reality, that doesn't exist for anyone. It's always an illusion, and there's a lot of pressure.
So, what was it like living in this guise? Was it difficult to get rid of it?
I probably shot this film for a little over a month, but it involved several shoots during the day, and then a long break during which I filmed all of Alicia's work. Then it all came back to me. It was incredibly sad. I was struck by how easy it was for me to mentally transport myself to the places she was. I found myself wanting to hug her, but I didn't want to drown in it, for fear of drowning.
This may not be easy.
Yes, it's dangerous. I'm trying to feel more comfortable discussing what might seem like an awkward aspect of my work, namely, that I delve into my imagination, which is incredibly powerful.
During those weeks of waiting between the beginning and the end, I simply wandered the streets, listening to music, standing still, and waiting. I felt like I was in a holding pattern. Even during filming, they say you're "on hold," and there'll be an "H" next to your name when they send out the schedule. So I was indeed waiting, but it felt more like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, struggling to stay upright with one toe dangling over the edge, just looking down at something that was just an inch away. And it was right there.
I don't live with suicidal thoughts day in and day out, whether people need this information or not—but in this context, I think it's relevant. I don't know what this says, because every person is different, but for me, it really highlighted the strength we all use every day to simply not look into the abyss, or, on some days, just hang on. The strength it takes to keep going, to wander, and to hold on when it's not time to give up. I think I'm speaking a little abstractly, but this is all very abstract.
Yes, that's true. I imagine you feel a certain responsibility, since you're telling a story about suicidal thoughts. Is that even fair to say?
Yeah, it was incredible. It was quite shocking. I knew the story was partly based on what [Rose] had read, but when I actually started looking into it, I realized there was a huge responsibility because during the year we were filming, many similar cases. There were reports and news stories about women who had committed suicide and killed their children, and this was happening throughout that year. I had these names written on Post-it notes in my house. I kept looking at them. I didn't want to look away. It's unpleasant, so I understand the desire to put it off or not delve into it fully, but the reality is that these things happen, and women go unnoticed.
The question is, how did we get here without anyone's help or intervention? How is it that we still don't have enough research on women and what kind of support they need postpartum, and how much hormonal fluctuations can drive us crazy? There are reports of suicides due to these massive hormonal fluctuations, and yet women remain ignorant and misinformed about what to expect. We're so good at creating the appearance of well-being because we have an innately enormous resilience to pain and discomfort. We're not invulnerable, and so yes, there was a lot of hardship in creating these stories.
You describe the extensive research that went into understanding Taylor's world and circumstances. Did this have a significant influence on you?
Yes. I'm not surprised by how often healthcare fails women. There were four murder-suicides in one year, and I hadn't heard anything about them; it completely stunned me. You hear stories about the postpartum period. I heard about it from my mother. It's very common, but to such an extent, I thought, "How can we live day to day without trying to cope with this, without actively trying to do something about it, and without bringing this up for discussion just to break the taboo?" Of course, suicide—there's a lot of taboo around it, but in this particular case, it was a shock to me.
Were you familiar with the novel "Mrs. Dalloway"« ?
No, I haven't read it. «Mrs. Dalloway, when I read the script. To be honest, I'm not the most well-read person. Laughs .) Fair enough. But I knew a little about Virginia Woolf's style and her unique writing style, and I think you don't need to know anything about it to appreciate the film's script. «Mrs. Dalloway» .
This film reflects your work with Alicia throughout its run, even though you're only onscreen for a short time. Were you familiar with each other's experiences or work processes?
I have no idea how she worked. We barely interacted. There's one scene where we interact, and she kind of passed the baton to me, and we started working on my material. Even when filming together, you're filming separately most of the time. It's amazing how many illusions you can create. Luckily, none of that actually happened to anyone on set. We were able to tell this story, and we still managed to have fun, really have fun, play around, and have fun. I deeply believe in that.
Even though it's uncomfortable, I don't like to dwell on how hard it is because, at the end of the day, it was acting. It certainly plays a role, but I think it's really important to try to stay positive and have fun with it. I hope you don't feel awkward saying this. I get annoyed by all these actors who say, "Are we supposed to just whine about how hard it is?" And I'm like, "Well, yeah, it's art." It's hard to bring something from your imagination to life, but it's such a privilege. I'm so lucky to have gotten this role, to play Taylor.
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