THE SOUVENIR

Director: Joanna Hogg

UK, 119, R

Screenwriter: Joanna Hogg

Cast: Honor Swinton Byrne, Tilda Swinton, Tom Burke, James Spencer Ashworth.

 

Mad love, mystery, family, and the dangerous politics of Thatcher’s 1980s’ Britain all combine in a movie that is winning critical raves for writer/director Joanna Hogg. The story follows Julie, a college-age woman with bohemian friends and an aristocratic background, who sets off to make a movie based on a charismatic, secretive young man. She falls in love, letting her friends, family and film start to slip away. One of The Souvenir’s many fascinations is the relationship between the still-unformed Julie and her force-of-nature mother – and the fact that they are brilliantly played by the great Tilda Swinton (Caravaggio, Orlando, Michael Clayton) and her daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne, who is a director’s– and audience’s – dream of a discovery.

“One of my favorite movies of the year so far…it’s an absolute joy to watch.” A.O. Scott, New York Times Critics Pick.