The Souvenir Part II

I had the pleasure to attend a preview of this outstanding film, followed by a Q&A with the director Joanna Hogg. A sequel of The Souvenir, this film continues to explore the theme of art versus reality as well as incorporating new styles and themes, like using a surrealist sequence to artistically show growth through grief. The film is a portrait of an aspiring filmmaker, Julie (played by Honor Swinton-Bryne) dealing with the death of her addict boyfriend, while making a feature film about their relationship. She deals with high egos in the film industry as well as her own ego and struggle to pin down her purpose while making the film with others criticising her every move. In Part I, Julie loses herself in her romance, straying away from filming. But Part II she finds herself and her drive from film in grief.

Joanna Hogg's artistry is incredible in this film, as much as it was shown in Part I (2 pictures below). Her detail and concepts are well executed, keeping the audience's attention as well as in awe. She carefully picks settings of galleries, film sets and film warehouses to not only add beautiful vastness to the film but also romanticise the film, questioning the blur between truth and art. Joanna Hogg recycles personal memories of herself being a young filmmaker. Using tactile details from her own life, for example using photographs of her own apartment in Knightsbridge in the 80s etc, blurs the line further.Joanna Hogg tricks the audience in comedic but philosophical ways, using film sets. By the end of the film, you do questions what is real as well as how art can show reality but also warp it completely. Martin Scorcese, an Executive producer to the film, is mentioned in the film as he himself has 'tricked' the audience just like Joanna Hogg. in his film, Rolling Thunder Revenue roughly 10 minutes of Scorsese’s back-to-the-’70s rock doc consists of prankish fake-documentary footage, like something out of a Christopher Guest movie.Rolling Thunder Revenue, roughly 10 minutes of Scorsese’s back-to-the-’70s rock doc consists of prankish fake-documentary footage. Talking with Joanna Hogg, she expressed that her writing style didn't changed from Part I, she had ideas but she knew that the actors would improvise most of it to give it the best sense of reality.

The film also explores relationships with oneself and others. The first shot of this film is of white flowers in Julie's childhood, country home. The next shot is of her mother (played by Tilda Swinton) carrying a breakfast tray, decorated with a flower, to the room of grieving Julie is. These details as well as the two actresses being mother and daughter in real life, adds to the films tenderness and fragility of a mother-daughter relationship. Hogg keeps scenes engaging and very honest at the same time by having normal chit-chat punctuated with devastating lines of emotional dialogue. For example, when Julie presses her mother to reveal how she felt when receiving the call of Anthony's death. The mother replies, 'I felt through you', rendering the ineffable power of her maternal love. Furthermore, with Julie without a partner we see her giving in to her desires to explore different men in the form of casual relationships (friendships, sexual relationships, creative relationships) due to the lack of a man she once adored. However she soon realises that these men don't heal her feeling of solitude and that she has to heal it herself. When she is making the film, she is constantly met with challenges. By reliving and remaking her relationship between her and Anthony she is faced with the awkward, vulnerable truths that creating something out of raw emotion means total exposure to her film crew, some of them challenging her about these emotions and decisions constantly. Charlie Heaton (star in Stranger Things) and Richard Ayoade (Star in IT Crowd) are incredible, although very contrasting characters (Charlie Heaton plays a restrained and pained actor just wanting to fuck, and Richard Ayoade plays a egotistical flamboyant director who inspires Julie), they both impact Julie's character arc in this film.

A film about personal and creative growth, Joanna Hogg creates an artistic and riveting film that deals with real world challenges as well as more conceptual questions and ideas. I highly recommend watching Part I and II. The Souvenir is one of my favourite films and Part II did not disappoint.

TRAILER FOR PART II:

TRAILER FOR THE SOUVENIR PART I: