The Souvenir (2019)
JOANNA HOGG
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.5. United Kingdom/USA, 2019. BBC Films, BFI Film Fund, JWH Films, Protagonist Pictures, Sikelia Productions. Screenplay by Joanna Hogg. Cinematography by David Raedeker. Produced by Joanna Hogg, Luke Schiller. Music by Ilona Cheshire. Production Design by Stephane Collonge. Costume Design by Grace Snell. Film Editing by Helle le Fevre. Independent Spirit Awards 2019.
Honor Swinton Byrne makes an excellent film debut as a young woman reportedly based on director Joanna Hogg’s own early experiences in film school. She’s the daughter of rather posh, rather distracted parents who have put her up in a flat where she entertains friends while preparing to start her academic year, excited about the film she is planning to make as a student project. She meets Anthony (Tom Burke), a debonair, cultivated gentleman with whom she begins a pleasant and polite affair, and in her naivete doesn’t see the signs of things going wrong until she’s deep into her feelings for him: Anthony is a heroin addict, and she’s not equipped to deal with it. Hogg’s spare and unsentimental film has one of the least interesting stories you’ll have seen in a movie, the tale of an insecure girl whose coming-of-age occurs thanks to the pain of an eye-opening relationship is not exactly unfamiliar, but intelligent direction coaxes realistic performances from all (including a wonderful Tilda Swinton, playing her real-life daughter’s mother) and refuses to allow anything to feel manipulated or melodramatic. It’s not a journey of discovery that our main character goes on, we simply observe her daily actions and reactions before things reach the inevitable result and she must make a permanent decision about how she will cope. Its subtle flavour is not for everyone’s taste, but there’s a strength to its subtle visual style, recreating the eighties without any campy flourish, that makes it memorable and impressive even when it is at its least fascinating.
Rate this:
Related
Information
This entry was posted on July 15, 2019 by Bil Antoniou in 111zzzdone, 2019, BBB.5, Joanna Hogg and tagged Alice McMillan, Ariane Labed, Barbara Peirson, BBC Films, Ben Hecking, BFI Film Fund, Calhan Mundy, Carla Ornstein, Chyna Terrelonge-Vaughan, Crispin Buxton, David Raedeker, Dick Fontaine, Dora, El Pilkington, Eleanor Goff, Estelle Long, Frankie Wilson, Grace Snell, Hannah Ashby Ward, Helle le Fevre, Honor Swinton Byrne, Ilona Cheshire, Jack McMullen, Jake Phillips Head, James Barrett, James Dodds, James Spencer Ashworth, Janet Etuk, Jaygann Ayeh, Jaz Dalrymple, Joanna Hogg, JWH Films, Keifer Nyron Taylor, Lee Martin, Leighton Spence, Leonardo Bozzo, Luke Schiller, Lydia Fox, Neil Young, Nicholas Gollop, Pedro Moura, Peter Hall, Protagonist Pictures, Richard Ayoade, Roscoe Gibson-Denney, Rosie, Sikelia Productions, Siobhan Harper Ryan, Spirit Awards 2019, Stephane Collonge, Steve Gough, Tilda Swinton, Tom Burke, Tom Rout, Tosin Cole, United Kingdom.Shortlink
https://wp.me/p3waMl-IIjSearch MyOldAddiction.com
Top Posts & Pages
Twitter Updates
- "There comes a day when the flush of youth disappears from every woman's face. Most women dread it. I did. Like so… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 15 minutes ago
- "It's unfortunate but our society is such that, for women in Hollywood, you get to a certain age and just fall off… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 15 minutes ago
- "I do have characters who are more well known than I am, which suits me fine." - Jeffrey Wright, born December 7, 1… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 16 minutes ago
- "My desire is to stand up and brush myself off when I make mistakes and ask for forgiveness." - Janine Turner, born… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 22 hours ago
- "The theater isn't reality. If you want reality, go to the morgue. The theater is human behavior that is effective… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 22 hours ago
