Major world cinema news lands on a Friday afternoon: Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher, arguably riding the high of her finest feature yet with La Chimera (review), is set to reunite with Josh O’Connor and assemble a formidable trio in Dakota Johnson, Saoirse Ronan and Jessie Buckley for a screen adaptation of Three Incestuous Sisters. It would appear her long-rumoured silent film detour is no longer next in the queue. With production slated to begin in April, it’s hardly premature to start imagining this as a prime contender for a Cannes 2027 Competition berth. We can expect a sensual mood piece.
Deadline reports that Rohrwacher (who also produces) wrote the project alongside Ottessa Moshfegh (the last film adaptation she did was for the underrated Eileen). Indian Paintbrush’s Steven Rales are joined by TeaTime Pictures’ Ro Donnelly and Johnson as producers. We don’t know where they’ll be filming but we imagine it could easily be outside of Italy.
Set in a decaying manor house, the story follows three aristocratic sisters — Bettine, Clothilde, and Bettina (often presented as variations on a name) — who live in emotional and physical isolation under the shadow of their domineering father. When he dies, long-suppressed desires, rivalries, and taboo longings surface, warping their already claustrophobic world.
