'The Souvenir Part II' Review: Honor Swinton Byrne Returns To Pick Up The Pieces In Joanna Hogg's Terrific Follow Up To Her 2019 Film

Arlington TX

14 November, 2021

2:13 PM

Description

By Joe Friar, Fort Worth Report November 14, 2021 Never did I imagine that Joanna Hogg's semi-autobiographical film "The Souvenir" would get the sequel treatment. The dark and brooding film which deals with various forms of addiction was buried underneath the buzz surrounding Bong Joon's Oscar-winning "Parasite" in 2019. A shame, since the standout performances by Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke, were two of the best that year. "The Souvenir Part II" is an extension of the tragic story that reunites the cast including Byrne's real-life mother Tilda Swinton, as we watch our budding filmmaker protagonist pick up the pieces while using loss as a mechanism to move forward. If you haven't seen Part One, then I would refrain from reading further. Yes, "The Souvenir Part II" works as a standalone film but you won't be able to connect with central character Julie Harte (Honor Swinton Byrne) on a level that results in the most satisfaction. Hearing about what she went through is not the same as witnessing it yourself. Plus, Burke's terrific performance must be seen to get you the viewer in the proper mindset for Hogg's extension ("sequel" doesn't convey the magnitude of the relationship between both films). Seeing past imperfections is perhaps Julie's greatest gift. It's also her biggest vice. The audience understood boyfriend Anthony (Burke) was a heroin addict long before Julie was informed by two of his friends in the 2019 film. He was good looking, older, and debonair enough to throw off most lovers for a period but the endless amounts of cash he forced Julie to borrow from her mother Rosalind (Swinton), the needle tracks on his arm, and the stolen jewelry were enough red flags to wake up anyone. Julie, however, was living a romantic dream, as if life had a giant snooze button that prevented her from waking up and facing the truth. His death at the end of the film was devasting and it's here where "The Souvenir Part II" picks back up. Back at film school, Julie is now moving closer to graduating. Her thesis has changed to the story of her life with Anthony. A brilliant move by writer-director Hogg who basically recreates the first film as a way for Julie to grieve and commemorate Anthony's life. This doesn't sit well with the school's condescending male administrators, but they have never been on Team Julie. Richard Ayoade returns as flamboyant Patrick, also a budding filmmaker, who encourages Julie to memorialize her dead boyfriend while reminding her to avoid the temptation to be obvious. Ayoade's flashy appearance and diva-ish attitude are a welcome respite from the somberness that shrouds the story. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.