Honor Swinton Byrne, Tilda Swinton, Richard Ayoade, Charlie Heaton
A return to the portrait of the artist as a young woman: Joanna Hogg’s much anticipated sequel to her critically adored autobiographical drama The Souvenir reunites us with young filmmaker Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) as she struggles to process a tragic loss.
If Part One was the story of Julie’s relationship, Part Two is the story of her continued quest to realise her creativity. Over five years, Julie untangles her love affair through her filmmaking – relying on the at times complicated support of her parents (played by Swinton Byrne’s real-life mother Tilda Swinton and James Spencer Ashworth) and the input of her filmmaking friends (including a caustic, scene-stealing Richard Ayoade) and culminating in the creation of her graduation film.
Just as rich, searching and artistically satisfying as Part One, it’s a shimmering, fragile and highly distinguished creation – beautifully shot, often very sad and often very funny – that deepens your sense of the original film. A mix of memoir and fantasy, full of ideas and constantly indicating the presence of other stories just outside of frame, it is also brilliantly performed, with its headline stars ably supported by a wider cast that includes Ariane Labed, Charlie Heaton, Jaygann Ayeh and Joe Alwyn.
