A successful, ego-maniacal architect who has spent a lifetime bullying his wife, employees and mistresses wants to make peace as his life approaches its final act.
Acting
Wallace Shawn weaponizes his nebbishness into something genuinely monstrous.
Direction
Demme's intimate close-ups make Ibsen feel like a home invasion.
Director
Jonathan Demme
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shawn and Gregory had been performing this Ibsen adaptation in living rooms and small theaters since 1997—Demme's film captures their final performance after nearly 15 years of refinement.
The film deliberately collapses stage and screen: shot in a single house with theatrical lighting, it's Demme's middle finger to cinematic 'opening up' of plays.
US
