The 2002 film starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Julianne Moore that is based on Michael Cunningham’s novel is The Hours.
Directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare, The Hours adapts Cunningham’s 1998 novel about three women connected through Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. Nicole Kidman plays Woolf in 1923, Julianne Moore portrays Laura Brown, an unhappy 1950s housewife, and Meryl Streep plays Clarissa Vaughan, a modern-day literary editor preparing a party for her friend Richard.
A common mix-up is to identify Mrs Dalloway as the source material. Woolf’s 1925 novel is central to the film’s structure and themes, but The Hours is specifically adapted from Cunningham’s novel, which reimagines how Mrs Dalloway echoes across different lives and eras.
The film earned nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Kidman won Best Actress for her portrayal of Woolf, while the three leading actresses shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival.