The World to Come

“Who is that?” Abigail asks her husband as a horse and cart passes their remote farm. “Finney. And his wife”, he replies. By then, the camera has shown us that Abigail isn’t looking at their new neighbour, the man driving the horses, at all. Her gaze is firmly fixed on Tallie, sitting bolt upright alongside him, with her red hair. It is she who will bring some colour into Abigail’s drab existence on the American frontier.

The World to Come captures the exaltation of being in love. For the longest time, the pair – phenomenal performances from Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby – circle one another. Abigail’s voice-over and their conversations discuss desire, without being able to say so explicitly. Director Mona Fastvold in the meantime shows how sensuality can hide in a lock of hair, or the steam evaporating from freshly washed sheets. The two women forge an alliance of the soul, which at the same time is an escape from the strictures of a society that marginalises them. But can this be permitted?

Official Opening Film IFFR 2021 in June. Also see Opening Film: The World to Come and Big Talk: Mona Fastvold. Please note: the screening of this film on Wed 2 June, 19:30 is for invitees only!