Subscriber Submission: 'Two Films of Joanna Hogg' by B Fisher

I was introduced to the work of Joanna Hogg at a screening of The Souvenir, followed by a Q&A with Hogg and the two main actors. I had no expectations. Although I knew enough about the film to secretly hope that Tilda Swinton might magically appear and sit down beside me. It ended up that Honor Swinton Tilda’s daughter, the ‘non-actor’ star of the film sat behind us. Good enough.

A sort of late coming of age film – the main character is probably early 20s and studying film. Gentle and naïve she is curious and aimless, yet generally lives a safe life. She lives in an apartment in Knightsbridge owned by her parents and wants for nothing, except purpose and maybe love. Along comes an older, very posh man who critiques her work, exposes her to art (at the Wallace Collection) and treats her to incredible restaurants and trips to Venice. With him, not everything is as it appears.

Somehow the long slow scenes don’t get boring. Maybe it’s because Hogg creates such a naturalistic experience, we are watching in real-time (almost), we are experiencing it with them, with her. The mix of actors and non-actors creates a special tension. Honor Swinton is a non-actor (or at least a very inexperienced actor) surrounded by characters who are well-versed in their own stories (and are all seasoned actors). I felt protective of Julie, not only because of the plot but because she was emerging into herself and not knowing what might come next (which was emphasised by the fact that Swinton really didn’t know what was happening – I learned in the Q&A that they didn’t really have lines, Hogg told them the way the scene was meant to end up, but they had to improvise their way there. No problem for a professional actor, but presumably terrifying for a novice. Julie was swimming amongst sharks – the boyfriend, her mother, even London itself, and Swinton must have had self doubt about whether she was doing justice to the character. Was she living up to the artistic expectations of her own mother (Tilda Swinton), who played her mother in the film.

The effect of this contrast between actors and non-actors also happened in Hogg’s earlier film, Exhibition. It was less pronounced this time because the majority of the scenes were between two non-actors. Again, super-realistic, slow, nothing happening scenes. Then the super-slick estate agent (Tom Hiddleston) comes into their lives and facilitates the sale of their Modern house, something that the wife (played by Viv Albertine, formerly of the punk girl band the Slits) is unsure about. Estate agents – the epitome of fakeness, a bit like actors.

The other main character is the house itself. Long shots of bold sliding doors getting opened and closed, the spiral staircase, the emptiness and the separate spaces where each of the characters work. Most days the husband and wife are so far apart that they speak to each other mainly through the phone intercom. Sometimes she doesn’t take his call, especially if she is busy pleasuring herself on an Ikea step stool.

This is an exploration of a relationship during a challenging time in their lives. They are bored of each other. The house doesn’t help. She doesn’t want the owners to tear it down – she wants to protect it, maybe to protect the memories of a more exciting time. Once they decide to sell the house, her luck turns and she is offered an exhibition at a prestigious gallery. All is well, but Hogg gives no definitive direction as to what the next step with this couple is. We have been left to hope, that this is a positive step for this couple we have come to know.

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EXHIBTION

THE SOUVENIR

Trailers:

Exhibition : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNvGrLwPL4s

The Souvenir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Al2nC0vzY