The Souvenir: Part II
Cert 15, 107 minutes, in cinemas 4 February Starring: Honor Swinton Byrne, Tilda Swinton, Charlie Heaton Director: Joanna Hogg
THE PLOT: Film student Julie (Swinton Byrne) battles to make her graduation film, inspired by her tragic relationship with a mysterious drug addict. WHAT’S RIGHT WITH IT? Inspired by filmmaker Joanna Hogg’s own life experiences, this concluding chapter to acclaimed UK indie film
The Souvenir manages to be both touching and funny – including scene-stealing moments by Richard Ayoade as a pretentious filmmaker. WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT? Hogg dares to make films about privileged posh people – a group she knows all about – and some are just going to struggle to empathise. VERDICT: It could be seen as indulgent to tell an autobiographical story spread across two feature films, but the whole The
Souvenir project is a creative triumph. ★★★★ Charles Gant