The Souvenir Part II review: Indie darling gets a well-deserved sequel
The Souvenir, released in 2019, became an art house favourite, offering a coming-of-age drama that wasn’t afraid to take a different perspective. Independent films rarely get the chance for a sequel, but director Joanna Hogg’s searing look at artistry and toxic love demanded another chapter.
Part II once again stars Honor Swinton Byrne as Julie, a film student recovering from the traumatic death of her troubled lover at the end of the previous film. Unsure how to feel as both someone who loved him and a victim of his addictions, she works through her experiences in her graduation film, which is based on their relationship.
Julie must navigate impatient crews and sceptical mentors in order to tell the story that’s in her heart.
Featuring the complex emotions and elegant direction of the previous film, this follow up will delight those who adored The Souvenir, or see something of themselves in Julie’s quiet strength. For the rest of us, the first act may require some patience as you attune to the inward-looking nature of the storytelling.
There’s a lot of standing around editing suites, poring over actor headshots and talking shop on film sets. This produces some highlights, like the return of Richard Ayoade’s self-centred, abusive director Patrick, but for the most part these early exchanges may leave you wondering where it’s all going.
Fortunately, there is a purpose here. The initial grieving and numbness of Julie’s experience grows into a story of artistic struggle, as her collaborators fight to understand her vision. Swinton Byrne is magnificent in leading that journey, putting together a character who is so bruised and intimidated by her experience, every meek smile or trailed off sentence tells its own story. There’s a natural quality to her performance and once it’s clear what she’s trying to achieve, it’s hard not to cheer her on.
She is reunited real life and screen mother Tilda Swinton, who shines as Julie’s posh farming mother unsure what to do for the best but supporting her all the way. Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton breezes in as a late-night fling (replacing original choice Robert Pattinson), while Joe Alwyn shares a couple of brief but agonising scenes as an understanding editor named Max.
As the focus shifts from toxicity to recovery, The Souvenir Part II is another accomplished British drama that further grandstands the abilities of its director and star.