September 3: The Souvenir

This week’s film is The Souvenir, directed by Joanna Hogg.

In London in the 80s, Julie, a young film school student, becomes romantically involved with Anthony, a charismatic working-class man who moves in with her. Unexplained bruises on his arm begin to unravel the character of a complicated and untrustworthy man.

The Souvenir is based on the real experiences of Hogg in her youth. In fact, Julie’s London flat in the film is an exact replica of Hogg’s when she was attending film school.

Julie is played by Honor Swinton Byrne, who, on set, was not given the script. Instead, Hogg gave the actress her personal diaries from the 80s, written amidst the director’s struggling relationship, as well as photographs and draft screenplays. Byrne was told to improvise her performance and build a character based on these documents, with other cast members left to loosely follow their scripts and construct a dynamic conversation.

Hogg is known in the industry for her experimentative camerawork. She has done cinematography for the programmes EastEnders and London’s Burning, and once shot an entire episode of British drama Casualty in one take. Dazed Magazine notes that the calm opening scene of The Souvenir– a man painting an idyllic landscape– is a jarring contrast to the fractured lives of the protagonists. 

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2019 and was met with critical acclaim, with five-star reviews from The Guardian and Vox. For her work in the Souvenir, Byrne was named Young British Performer of the Year at the 2020 London Film Critics’ Circle Awards.

The Souvenir will screen at the Gala to all IFS members on Sunday, 3 September at 7pm. Don’t miss this “essential and enduring film” (A24).