Filmmaker Joanna Hogg, who is behind the award-winning “The Souvenir” films returns this week at the Venice Film Festival with a new film, “The Eternal Daughter,” which stars Tilda Swinton (“Three Thousand Years of Longing“). The pic is described as a ghostly story slightly influence by Hogg’s own relationship with her late mother that explores the fraught and powerful bonds between mother and daughter but with otherworldly elements.
A profile of the film from Vanity Fair reveals that the creative shorthand between Hogg and Swinton during the development of “The Eternal Daughter” led to an excellent idea, the talented actress suggested she should play both mother and daughter, instead of simply the single role. This, of course, echoes Swinton taking on multigenerational roles in Luca Guadagnino‘s remake of the beloved Dario Argento-directed horror film “Suspiria.”
Thanks to the duo’s history of working together for decades going back to 1986, they had the freedom of developing ideas for “The Eternal Daughter” as Hogg doesn’t write dialogue for her movies. What she does, instead, is collaborate with her actors once they’re cast in those key roles. When the two were hammering and sculpting how to tackle the daughter character of Julie and, in turn, her relationship with her mother, Rosalind. That is when Swinton suggested she play both mother and daughter in the original drama.
“It was the most unusually tender, rich experience,” Swinton says of playing the dual roles. “Even though the film takes place in this kind of dreamscape of mist and gargoyles, it felt absolutely real to me and to Joanna because we were working through thoughts and feelings we’ve already shared as friends.”
Keep an eye out for The Playlist’s review for the film. Vanity Fair also included new images from “The Eternal Daughter” which you can see below.
