The Souvenir

"The past never stays in focus."

2019 2h 0m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 291🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes●92Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 15,283

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A shy but ambitious film student falls into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship with a charismatic but untrustworthy older man.

“The past never stays in focus.”

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Cast

Honor Swinton Byrne
Julie
Tom Burke
Anthony
Tilda Swinton
Rosalind
Richard Ayoade
Patrick
Ariane Labed
Garance
Jaygann Ayeh
Marland
Jack McMullen
Jack
Chyna Terrelonge Vaughan
Tamara

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joanna Hogg
Writers: Joanna Hogg
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Souvenir Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joanna Hogg, shot by David Raedeker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Helle le Fevre shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke and Tilda Swinton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The past never stays in focus.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6920356 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joanna Hogg directs. David Raedeker behind the camera. Helle le Fevre cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Part of the "The Souvenir Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Joanna Hogg, shot by David Raedeker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Helle le Fevre shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke and Tilda Swinton carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The past never stays in focus.".
8IMDB entry: tt6920356 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "drug addiction", "filmmaking", "semi autobiographical", "woman director".

The technical file

Cinematography: David Raedeker
Editing: Helle le Fevre
Production design: Stéphane Collonge
Costume design: Grace Snell
Makeup / hair: Rebecca Crang
Sound: Jovan Ajder
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $2,087,678
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Souvenir (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 92/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 15,283 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

7 wins & 38 nominations total

Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Souvenir Collection

The Souvenir is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Joanna Hogg. A semi-autobiographical account of Hogg's experiences at film school, it stars Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, and Tilda Swinton. A sequel, The Souvenir Part II, was released in 2021 as well as a loose close to the trilogy, The Eternal Daughter, in 2022.

Also by

Joanna Hogg

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

ddotleugim2019-05-25
★ 10/10
masterpiece
SWITCH.2019-08-10
★ 7/10
Even in the writing of this review, I continue to toss ‘The Souvenir’ around in my mind. I left the cinema disappointed and frustrated by it, wishing it had let me in more instead of simply presenting itself to me, but a friend had told me that it is a film that grows on you. I think they may have been right. The more I interrogate Joanna Hogg’s film, just as Joanna Hogg interrogates her own life, the more fascinating questions and provocations I find. Right now, I like the film more than love it, but I said the same a year ago about Chang-dong Lee’s <a href=“/article/review-burning-one-of-the-best-films-of-the-decade“>‘Burning’</a>, and on my second viewing realised that was actually a masterpiece. I’m not sure the same will happen with ‘The Souvenir’, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, when you ask me my thoughts on it in a year, my answer may be different from what it is now. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of ‘The Souvenir' is that Hogg always intended for it to be a two-part film, with Part II currently filming. Maybe it’s just that we haven’t seen where else she intends to go, what is next in Julie’s development as an artist, how tragedy will shape her as an artist and as a human being. In that sense, despite its flaws, ‘The Souvenir’ may be one of the most interesting provocations in independent cinema in the last few years. The more I think about it, the more I’m keen to try it again, and the more I’m keen to see where Julie’s story goes next. - Daniel Lammin Read Daniel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-souvenir-a-flawed-but-fascinating-act-of-autobiography
CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 5/10
I am not quite sure what Joanna Hogg was trying to achieve here. The depressing inevitability of the film's conclusion left by little jeopardy with the plot. The performances were fine, but nothing more - and the manipulative toxicity of Anthony's (Tom Burke) behaviour towards Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) isn't developed anywhere near enough. The film does look good, though!