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The Souvenir

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For other uses, see Souvenir (disambiguation).

The Souvenir
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoanna Hogg
Written byJoanna Hogg
Produced by
  • Joanna Hogg
  • Luke Schiller
Starring
CinematographyDavid Raedeker
Edited byHelle Le Fevre
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • A24 (United States and Canada)
  • Curzon (United Kingdom and Ireland)
Release dates
  • 27 January 2019 (2019-01-27) (Sundance)
  • 17 May 2019 (2019-05-17) (United States)
  • 30 August 2019 (2019-08-30) (United Kingdom)
Running time
119 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2 million[2]

The Souvenir is a 2019 romantic drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Joanna Hogg. The film is a semi-autobiographical account of Hogg's experiences at film school. It stars Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, and Tilda Swinton. It follows a young, quietly ambitious film student who embarks on her first serious love affair with a charismatic and mysterious man.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2019, where Hogg was awarded the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic. It was theatrically released in the United States on 17 May 2019, by A24, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 30 August 2019, by Curzon. It grossed over $2 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics. It was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2019 by the National Board of Review and was nominated for Best International Film at the 35th Independent Spirit Awards. The film earned eight nominations, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (for Burke), and Most Promising Newcomer (for Swinton Byrne), at the 22nd British Independent Film Awards. A sequel, The Souvenir Part II, was released in 2021.

Plot

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Julie, a film student, intends to make a film about a boy, his mother, and their life in the city of Sunderland. She lives in a Knightsbridge flat with another student and his girlfriend. She meets Anthony, a well-to-do man who works at the Foreign Office, who moves in with her after her flatmate moves out. He leaves a postcard with a picture of the girl in a painting called The Souvenir. He later takes her to the gallery where the painting is hung. Julie says the girl looks sad, while Anthony says she looks determined.

Anthony has to travel to Paris but returns with some lingerie, which he asks Julie to put on. While in bed, she notices some needle marks on his arm but doesn't know what they are, and he asks Julie for money frequently. Julie starts to pay their restaurant bills and is forced to borrow from her parents.

Julie and Anthony have dinner with two of Anthony's friends, who reveal to Julie when he has left the room that Anthony is a heroin addict. Julie is taken aback but does not mention it to Anthony.

Anthony explains over a meal at Harrods that he has had relationships with three other girls, including trips to Venice with at least one of them, who appears to have committed suicide while on the trip. He invites Julie to go to Venice with him.

One evening, she returns to find that her flat has been broken into, and her valuable jewellery is missing. Later, on their trip to Venice, Anthony admits to doing it but says he didn't tell her to keep her from feeling bad. Julie becomes upset, but Anthony manages to convince her he had a good reason for doing so even though he doesn't elaborate, insinuating it is related to work and not to his heroin habit. Julie starts noticing when Anthony is on heroin, and she attends a self-help group. She starts to confront him sometimes but doubts herself, and he manipulates and gaslights her. She begins to take on the responsibility of his addiction.

Julie returns home one evening to find a strange man in her apartment that Anthony must have let in. She also catches an illness from what she's being exposed to through Anthony. Finally, after finding out he was arrested, Julie asks Anthony to move out.

Julie begins to put herself back together after the breakup, to the happiness of her friends and professors. Anthony's mother calls Julie frequently in an attempt to find him.

Anthony shows up again and appears clean long enough for Julie to invite him back in with her. He goes through withdrawal in front of her but eventually starts using heroin again. He goes missing and is later found dead, having overdosed in a public toilet at the Wallace Collection.

Cast

[edit]

Release

[edit]

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2019.[3] A24 and Curzon Artificial Eye acquired U.S. and U.K. distribution rights to the film, respectively.[4][5] Focus Features acquired distribution rights for the world excluding North America, the United Kingdom and Taiwan.[6] It was released in the United States on 17 May 2019 by A24,[2][7][8] and in the United Kingdom on 30 August 2019.[2][9] It was released on VOD by Lionsgate Home Entertainment on 30 July 2019.[2][7]

Reception

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Box office

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The Souvenir made $85,851 from four theaters in its opening weekend, an average of $21,463 per venue.[10][11] The film ultimately grossed $1 million in the United States and Canada, and $1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $2 million.[2][7]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 90% of 184 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "Made by a filmmaker in command of her craft and a star perfectly matched with the material, The Souvenir is a uniquely impactful coming of age drama."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 92 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 5 out of 5 stars and remarked, "The Souvenir is an artefact in the highest auteur register. Its absence of tonal readability is a challenge. But there is also a cerebrally fierce, slow-burn passion in its austere, unemphasised plainness."[14]

Mark Kermode of The Observer gave the film 4 out of 5 stars and stated, "Hogg turns the blade on herself, performing what seems at times to be a delicate act of on-screen auto-vivisection. It's powerful stuff: wryly tender, frequently funny, but insidiously suffocating. More than once I found myself stifling a scream – and I mean that as a compliment." Kermode highlighted, "Particular plaudits are due to Tom Burke, who gives a career-best performance."[15]

Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times opined, "If The Souvenir seems to move assuredly to its own unconventional rhythms, it's because Hogg isn't telling a straightforward story; she's showing us, piecemeal, how an artist's sensibility comes into being."[16]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times called it "one of my favorite movies of the year so far" and wrote, "The Souvenir feels like a whispered confidence, an intimate disclosure that shouldn't be betrayed because it isn't really yours." Scott also noted, "This is one of the saddest movies you can imagine, and it's an absolute joy to watch."[17]

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and commented, "Hogg's coming-of-age tale is no misty remembrance of bygone days. Rather, it is a clear-eyed reflection on how hindsight — and true art — is always 20/20."[18]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "an illuminating (self-)portrait of a young artist as well as a mesmerizing chronicle of a consuming, destructive relationship that steadily inches its way under the viewer's skin."[19]

Guy Lodge of Variety stated, "Hogg takes a little of both positions in her rich, exquisitely reflective fourth feature — a work of memoir shattered and reassembled into a universally moving, truthful fiction." Lodge praised Burke and Swinton Byrne for their "intensely interlocked performances."[20]

Tomris Laffly of TheWrap wrote, "The Souvenir isn't exactly autobiographical, but it shares a DNA with the filmmaker's own past as a film student. It is a precise yet dreamy memory piece, in an opposite but equally masterful manner to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, also a cinematic reenactment of recollections. […] The Souvenir — with its soft pastels, grainy textures and cloudy aftertaste — feels like getting liquefied within them."[21]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival February 2, 2019 World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Joanna Hogg Won [22]
British Independent Film Awards December 1, 2019 Best British Independent Film Joanna Hogg and Luke Schiller Nominated [23]
Best Director Joanna Hogg Nominated
Best Screenplay Joanna Hogg Nominated
Best Actor Tom Burke Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer Honor Swinton Byrne Nominated
Best Costume Design Grace Snell Nominated
Best Editing Helle Le Fevre Nominated
Best Production Design Stéphane Collonge Nominated
National Board of Review January 8, 2020 Top Ten Independent Films The Souvenir Won [24]
London Film Critics' Circle Awards January 30, 2020 Film of the Year The Souvenir Nominated [25]
Screenwriter of the Year Joanna Hogg Nominated
Actor of the Year Tom Burke Nominated
British or Irish Actor of the Year Nominated
Supporting Actress of the Year Tilda Swinton Nominated
The Attenborough Award for the Best British or Irish Film of the Year The Souvenir Won
Young British or Irish Performer of the Year Honor Swinton Byrne Won
Independent Spirit Awards February 8, 2020 Best International Film Joanna Hogg and Luke Schiller Nominated [26]

Sequel

[edit]
Main article: The Souvenir Part II

In May 2019, it was announced a sequel would be produced with Swinton Byrne, Swinton, Ayoade and Labed reprising their roles, with Robert Pattinson joining the cast,[27] although he later dropped out and was later replaced with Charlie Heaton and Harris Dickinson.[28] A24 will distribute.[29] Principal photography began in June 2019.[30][31]

References

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  1. ^ "The Souvenir". Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Souvenir". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  3. ^ Debruge, Peter (28 November 2018). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2019 Features Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  4. ^ Hipes, Patrick (3 December 2018). "A24 Acquires Joanna Hogg's Sundance-Bound 'The Souvenir'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  5. ^ Grater, Tom (31 January 2019). "Joanna Hogg's 'The Souvenir' secures UK and Ireland deal (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  6. ^ Grater, Tom (15 March 2019). "Focus Features buys 'The Souvenir' for rest of the world". Screen International. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "The Souvenir". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  8. ^ Sharf, Zack (19 February 2019). "The Souvenir' Trailer: Discover the Power of Joanna Hogg's Sundance Darling". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  9. ^ "The Souvenir". Curzon Artificial Eye. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  10. ^ Brooks, Brian (19 May 2019). "'The Souvenir' Gifted Best Weekend Average; 'Trial By Fire' is Burned: Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  11. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (19 May 2019). "'The Souvenir' Is the Top Specialized Opener as Business Remains Soft". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  12. ^ "The Souvenir". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  13. ^ "The Souvenir". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  14. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (29 August 2019). "The Souvenir review – sumptuous class study puts Joanna Hogg in the limelight". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  15. ^ Kermode, Mark (1 September 2019). "The Souvenir – Joanna Hogg's most intimate film to date". The Observer. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  16. ^ Chang, Justin (15 May 2019). "Review: Joanna Hogg's 'The Souvenir' is a filmmaker's exquisitely moving self-portrait". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  17. ^ Scott, A. O. (16 May 2019). "'The Souvenir' Review: A Great Movie About a Bad Boyfriend". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  18. ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (20 May 2019). "'The Souvenir' recalls a turbulent relationship through 20/20 hindsight". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  19. ^ Rooney, David (27 January 2019). "'The Souvenir': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  20. ^ Lodge, Guy (28 January 2019). "Film Review: 'The Souvenir'". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  21. ^ Laffly, Tomris (15 May 2019). "'The Souvenir' Film Review: Sundance Award-Winner Weaves a Dreamy but Honest Memory Piece". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  22. ^ Debruge, Peter (2 February 2019). "Sundance Winners: 'Clemency,' 'One Child Nation' Take Top Honors". Variety. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  23. ^ Dalton, Ben (30 October 2019). "'The Personal History Of David Copperfield', 'Wild Rose' head 2019 BIFA nominations". Screen Daily. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  24. ^ Lewis, Hilary (3 December 2019). "'The Irishman' Named Best Film by National Board of Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  25. ^ Grater, Tom (17 December 2019). "'The Souvenir', 'The Irishman', '1917' Lead London Critics' Circle Film Award Nominees". Deadline. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  26. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (21 November 2019). "Spirit Award Nominations: A24 Leads For 4th Straight Year With 18 Noms As 'Uncut Gems' & 'The Lighthouse' Come Up Big". Deadline. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  27. ^ Fond, Rebecca (20 May 2017). "Cannes: Robert Pattinson to Star in Two-Part Film 'The Souvenir'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  28. ^ Erbland, Kate (11 June 2019). "Robert Pattinson Drops Out of 'Souvenir' Sequel Due to Scheduling Conflicts — Exclusive". IndieWire. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  29. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (23 January 2019). "A24 Lands NA Rights To 'The Souvenir' Sequel as First Film Is Poised for Sunday Sundance Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  30. ^ Erbland, Kate (17 May 2019). "Joanna Hogg Teases 'The Souvenir 2,' Which Won't Be Ready for Sundance 2020". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  31. ^ Elliot, Rosanna (16 May 2019). "Movie starring Robert Pattinson to film in Norfolk". edp24.co.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
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