One imagines it would be incredibly intimidating for any woman to perform opposite Tilda Swinton in their first major role, imagine if the Academy Award-winning acting idol was also your mother. Honor Swinton Byrne will likely not be accused of having a career owed to nepotism, going off earlier reactions to “The Souvenir” – winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Award at this past Sundance.
Director Joanna Hogg’s film received universal raves when it premiered in Park City and the new trailer for the film makes it easy to see why. The movie looks to be a lovingly intimate, yet raw and honest portrait of a young filmmaker’s first love, and it has the air of a very personal project about it. The movie is reported to be the first in a two-part series; perhaps we are in for a thoughtful Richard Linklater-esque romance experiment.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A shy but ambitious film student (Honor Swinton Byrne) begins to find her voice as an artist while navigating a turbulent courtship with a charismatic but untrustworthy man (Tom Burke). She defies her protective mother (Tilda Swinton) and concerned friends as she slips deeper and deeper into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship that comes dangerously close to destroying her dreams.
From acclaimed writer-director Joanna Hogg comes an enigmatic and personal portrait of the artist as a young woman, combining passionate emotions and exquisite aesthetics into a lush, dreamlike story of young adulthood and first love. At once enrapturing and mysteriously unsettling—and featuring a profoundly layered breakout performance by Honor Swinton Byrne—The Souvenir is an essential and enduring film from one of our most distinctive and exciting filmmakers.
The long-hyped picture made The Playlist’s Most Anticipated Films By Female Filmmakers In 2019 list, after landing on our 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2018 countdown, the year prior – when the exact release date of the movie was still in doubt. Robert Pattinson (“Good Time”) was initially announced as the lead of the project, but it appears his role will show up in the second installment of the two-parter. Martin Scorsese has been attached for some time as Executive Producer (he also served as EP on the phenomenal film, “Diane”).
The “Before” series of films seems to have inspired a new wave of realist relationship chronicles. Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name” is another recent work that may soon toy with the idea of time’s inevitable impact on the language of love. The movie also stars Tom Burke, Richard Ayoade, and Tilda Swinton. Check out the excellent first trailer.
A24 (“Lady Bird”) is expected to release “The Souvenir” later this year.
