Rent The Souvenir: Part II (2021)

Hogg's best yet - The Souvenir: Part II review by PD

If you enjoyed Souvenir Part One, and admire Joanna Hogg's work in general, then you're in for a big treat here, for this is her most accomplished feature to date. Deeper, funnier, far more imaginative and personal than its predecessor, The Souvenir Part II is a filmmaker working at the peak of her powers, for if it's Hogg’s most personal film, it is also her most ambitious, straddling genre and form to present a story about grief but not necessarily about grieving.

In one of many brilliant scenes, a quiet drama is built around the accidental smashing of a ceramic sugar bowl, and aptly enough, the second chapter of this semi-autobiographical brace is a film about picking up the pieces. At its heart, The Souvenir Part II is a portrait of a young woman getting to grips with a broken life in general and her nascent creativity in particular. After the death of her heroin-addicted lover Anthony at the end of the first film, Honor Swinton Byrne’s film-school student Julie Harte — the J.H. initials suggest the director’s alter-ego — is at a turning point in her filmmaking. Jettisoning her project about working-class life in the Sunderland docks, Julie decides to make a version of her relationship with Anthony. His absence looms large as Julie attempts to make sense of her grief, reconciling the man she loved with the reality of his addiction and untimely demise. It’s an uncomfortable if inevitable position, but Julie displays a drive and determination previously absent as she drifted through life, coasting on her privilege. There are still moments that highlight her good fortune, yet she doesn’t take it for granted now she understands the fragility that surrounds her. Meanwhile, Hogg, ripping from her own time at film school, paints a painfully believable portrait of student filmmaking, the sense of rivalry, squabbles — there is a wonderfully convincing argument in the back of a minibus — and the idiosyncratic, indecisive process of a young filmmaker failing to share their vision with the cast and crew. Julie also takes her first steps in the professional film world through vividly realised pop-promo shoots and reuniting with flamboyant filmmaker Patrick, whom she met briefly in the first part. Patrick is an egomaniacal auteur who compares himself to Scorsese (an executive producer on both Souvenir films) and dismisses praise during editing (“That’s marvellously generic.” “You’re forcing me to have a tantrum”), yet finds notes of pathos in a third-act meeting with Julie in Soho in the rain.

Hogg’s control of her filmmaking palate is very impressive throughout. Around Julie’s filmmaking exploits, Hogg adds in different textures. Post Anthony, Julie has three very different relationships with three very different men, and there are also beautifully played scenes with Julie and her parents, perfectly toggling between affection and reserve, whilst a very clever late sequence is a trick mirror of sound and images, drawing from the past to make sense of the present. But this is Honor Swinton Byrne’s film. No longer in the shadow of Tom Burke’s overbearing Anthony, she comes into her own here: still a quiet, delicate presence, but one that is absolutely absorbing. Hogg is very successful at creating something honest and true from the fabrication of filmmaking; about living with tragedy, about finding your own voice and ultimately about growing up. And questions of what compels us to make art – and what purpose art should serve – linger after the credits roll. Very strong stuff indeed.

Snoozeville - The Souvenir: Part II review by PT

I would have liked to have been interested in the characters but I was bored entirely by them. The saving grace was that there were pieces of good music but the whole film was tedious and dull. I just didn't care about any of them, rich, affluent, dull, it's giving me yawns thinking about it.

Sequel Drama - Interesting & Challenging - The Souvenir: Part II review by GI

Director Joanna Hogg once again defies expectations in this semi-autobiographical sequel to her 2019 film. Whereas I was entranced by the first film telling the story of young film school graduate Julie and her dysfunctional relationship with a destructive heroin addict I found this continuation of Julie's story to be too challenging. Essentially a story of grief with Julie, again played by Honor Swinton Byrne, trying to come to terms with the loss of her lover but attempting to separate the lies from the truth and rid herself of his dominant presence in her life. Hogg creates a clever and intricate character study especially of Julie and her parents, played brilliantly by Tilda Swinton and James Spencer Ashworth, but I found the film was too detached from what was actually happening in the narrative leaving me not really caring. The basis of the story centres around Julie making her graduation film and has changed the initial project to make a more intimate film that tries to deal with the issues in her own life. Her tutors are against this and the film making process becomes fraught with challenges. Julie succeeds, partially because she has wealthy parents to rely on, and partially due to her artistic seriousness. However this film left me a bit empty and whilst it has been applauded by critics it wasn't as fulfilling an experience.