Artistically speaking, The Souvenir: Part II is to The Souvenir what The Godfather: Part II was to The Godfather: a masterful follow-up to an essential masterpiece that is equally great, if not stronger. As written and directed by Joanna Hogg, this shattering semi-autobiographical meditation about grief and the healing power of the creative process is a must-see for everyone. This emotionally charged and artfully crafted drama about the neuroses of grieving and the collaborative process in film school has subplots, rich pathos, and engaging drama–merging both films together feel like an epic indie with the scope of a miniseries, though both The Souvenir and The Souvenir: Part II stand on their own. Despite not being a franchise or box-office indie sensation, both The Souvenir and The Souvenir: Part II should eventually generate a wider American audience throughout the years to come with inevitable retrospectives, revisits, discoveries, and strong word of mouth-until both films find their audience, which will be a mix of cinephiles, film students, and indie film lovers.
The film is a landmark achievement; a film with a personal vision and sincere scope that feels so much more genuine than many other films about the filmmaking process, a film that is more sensitive and not quite as emotionally raw as its predecessor. The film still bears a resemblance to Joanna Hogg’s 2019 masterpiece (which made my top 10 in 2019), which was also scripted and directed by Hogg. The elements that bring the original and its sequel together are, of course, Honor Swinton Byrne’s charming and vulnerable matron, and her rest is mourning the death of her boyfriend of two years, Anthony, who was a heroin addict who tragically died from a drug overdose. Hogg’s own experiences and challenges in student filmmaking are mirrored in Julie’s character, who serves as a likeable and deeply sympathetic alter-ego to Hogg, where she’s able to find her catharsis through art, while making profound commentary on how the creative process allows us to understand the person we are. Some of the best films you will ever see are the ones you can easily connect with. Why are certain films so easy to connect with? Simply because they have a personal vision that reflects vivid experiences where you feel like you’re eavesdropping on just how much truth is found in the human experience. Jonna Hogg’s The Souvenir films are those types of films, and The Souvenir: Part II is even more resonant with Hogg’s resilience.
Starting just moments after the events of the first film, the original film ended on a beautiful note that has some bookends, and the beauty of The Souvenir: Part II is how it doesn’t open up with some obvious point of action. The Saga begins only moments after the closure of the first film, which ends with Julie directing one of her student films with a small monologue of her actress that echoes her own. With meta expression, Hogg uses a beautiful medium-shot of Julie observing the action and then turning to the camera as the lighting shows contrast on her face that echoes an equal amount of joy and anguish in her filmmaking. Hogg places you right into the events as we observe Julie resting in bed at her parents’ outhouse in Norfolk, where her relationship with Anthony brought her the most trauma in her first year of film school, as we saw in the first film, where Julie was supporting Anthony and constantly letting him borrow money, which led to his demise. In the sequel, Julie is still in film school as she’s on break, still dealing with the aftershock of his death. Julie’s parents return as characters, and in this film, they are given even more emotional depth than in the first. They certainly support Julie, but you can sense they have always been lukewarm on Julie’s determination to be a filmmaker. This keeps them more at emotional distance simply because of the upper-class British background where they want Julie to study for a career that is more viable. Both parents are also perplexed about how Julie could date Anthony for two years, and not be aware of Anthony’s drug problem, which led to his demise. The question is never directly asked of Julie, the question is never directly asked of Julie, though her father Patrick (Richard Ayoade) does attempt to pry Julie on “what was going on with that guy?” as that question always reads on Julie’s eyes and face. Anthony’s friends were troubled and aware of his addiction. She visited his parents in an attempt to find some healing, and she often holds blame and is perplexed about how she didn’t know what was going on. Another triumph of The Souvenir: Part II is just how much more resonant and moving the second film is.
In any lesser film, The Souvenir: Part II would have been more of a study of grief and overcoming emotional trauma. Sure, those elements and themes are there, but Hogg’s true catharsis of the saga is that it becomes a chronicle of self-discovery. Julie ends up taking the experiences she had with Anthony and turning them into a script for her upcoming thesis film project. Julie finds trivial criticism from her all-male faculty, who dismiss the material as too abstract and surreal. Once again, borrowing money from her mother, Rosalind (Tilda Swinton), she embarks on the project anyway and stays true to her vision. Julie also receives more emotional support from Rosalind, which causes both of her parents to loosen up from the bourgeois lifestyle and begin to form a more inviting and warmer parent-daughter relationship. The scenes of both Honor and Tilda (who are real life mother-daughter) are nothing short of genuine. The exchanges between both women’s growth as Rosalind as a mother and Honor as an artist reach some of the strongest character arcs you will see in any film this year. Their scenes together deliver so much radiance and warmth that you can’t help but be absorbed by the women’s authenticity. Julie ends up casting the film, which includes Garance (Ariane Labed), a fellow French classmate who she admires for her philosophy on film. Garance also appeared in the first film. Garance ends up playing Julie in her own thesis film, as she casts a local stage actor named Pete (Harris Dickinson) as Anthony. The trauma returns to Julie as she directs the scenes. As you can sense, she keeps these experiences secretive. As she struggles to articulate her vision to the actors, it ends up frustrating some of the crew members, including her own cinematographer, who’s at odds with her shooting style. He directs the scenes. As you can sense, she keeps these experiences secretive. As she struggles to articulate her vision to the actors, it ends up frustrating some of the crew members, including her own cinematographer, who’s at odds with her shooting style.
Despite these challenges, Julie keeps her head up and her confidence going as long as she doesn’t compromise her vision. The most affecting and rewarding element of The Souvenir Part II is just how much of a beautiful tribute it is to filmmaking, thesis films, film school, and the whole creative process. Anyone who has made a film, acted in a film, or written a script will identify with this film. Upon completion of Julie’s thesis film, we get to see the film, and it’s a dreamy abstract art film, one that feels completely different than the one Julie was shooting throughout the course of the film. It feels like an abstract short rendition of Singin’ in the Rain meets Guy Madden, which leaves a great impact on Hogg. The meta-aspects of the film bring illuminating closure to the Souvenir films, and the film-within-a-film allows Julie to find greater purpose and self-discovery as the artist and woman that she is. One of the greatest characters in the film is the return of Patrick (Richard Ayode), who was a close friend to Anthony and also a fellow classmate and pretentious filmmaker who’s attempting to make a satisfying British-musical that he presses his fellow classmates and collaborators to pick the film apart, which leaves him hating his art. Anyone who attended film school will understand every class has one of those types.
A majority of The Souvenir: Part II examines Julie as she attempts to create her thesis film. The scenes of her directing with her actors and working with her producer and fellow-classmate, Marland (Jaygann Ayeh), all capture the emotional truths of film school. The film’s most luminous scenes involve the small movie sets where she feels, for once, she is in control of something, as many other outsiders attempt to take away her creative liberty. Hogg beautifully captures the role of the filmmaker’s vision on a film set, as well as the collaborative tensions that arise from fragile egos that compromise the momentum of the production. Hogg also merges reality with fiction, and just how we all put a part of ourselves into our own art, whether we know it or not. Hogg also shows how self-indulgent films can be, how everyone is making the film for themselves in hopes that others will connect with it as well. The filmmaker’s exploration of these topics becomes a richly honest framework that is complete with growth, insight, and honesty. In the end, The Souvenir: Part II bridges the gap left by the first Souvenir film and shines in every way, from its devastating melancholy to its wry humor all the way to its effective meta-approach. The Souvenir: Part II is a rarity that goes beyond the dull approaches of many other films and actually emphasizes the power of filmmaking and the creative process.
Oh wow. I wasn’t aware there was a sequel. I’ll have to see it sometime.
I can’t wait to see this!!!
Robert. This was amazing. Your review is spot on– I totally resonated with the film and with Julie’s story on so many levels and it was absolutely to me, a masterpiece appropriately following The Souvenir.
Thank you for the experience of your review. I agree one thousand percent and honestly I’m still processing it!
Julie’s journey is one you will never forget.
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