“Cynthia has delivered a career-defining performance”: Anthony Chen on Drift

This third feature film Drift directed by Anthony Chen is adapted from a screenplay by Susanne Farrell and Alexander Maksik and offers a sensitive portrayal of a young African refugee called Jaqueline (Cynthia Erivo) who becomes untethered from her roots after fleeing a war-torn situation. It follows her story as she survives against prejudice, poverty and isolation as she attempts to find her new place in the world.

Chen intentionally starts the film quietly: the sparse dialogue lends itself to various layers of Jaqueline’s character and her past unravelling slowly. Filmed predominantly in Greece, the backdrop is also used to mark her time spent in Nigeria before viewers find her drifting around the island and finally sparking up a friendship with a tour guide called Callie (Alia Shawkat) who becomes her one constant.

The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to the director Anthony Chen about bringing this female-centred, subtle and thought-provoking story to screen, the challenges of filming some of the scenes and working with the cast and the Nigerian music composer Re Olunuga to create the perfect dynamics for the narrative.

Ezelle Alblas

Drift is released in select cinemas on 29^th March 2024.

Watch the trailer for Drift here: