A young film student in the early '80s becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man.A young film student in the early '80s becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man.A young film student in the early '80s becomes romantically involved with a complicated and untrustworthy man.
- Awards
- 7 wins & 37 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJoanna Hogg wrote the script based on her real-life experiences while attending film school in London in the early '80s. Tilda Swinton and Hogg have been friends since they were ten years old, and Swinton witnessed Hogg's relationship at the time. All actors read the script except for Honor Swinton Byrne. Director Joanna Hogg gave her instead her diaries from the early '80s, notes, photographs, and old scripts and films she wrote and made at that time. She was told to improvise every scene, while the rest of the cast had scripts but were still told to react to her as well as they could. Hogg also gave Tom Burke old letters, recordings, and drawings from the man his character is based on.
- Quotes
Anthony: We don't know what the inner machinations of their mind are, or their heart. We don't know. But that's what we want to know when we go and see a film. We don't wanna just see life played out as is. We wanna see life as it is experienced, within this soft machine, within this...
Julie: But the life of Tony and his mother, they're the lives of real people. I'm not- I'm not making that up.
Anthony: Why are they more real than me?
Julie: They're not more real than you.
Anthony: Am I more real than you?
Julie: No. I think we're all equal in that. I think we're all as real as each other. There's no competition. It doesn't matter that they're not real people. I mean, I'm not trying to make a documentary. I'm just- you know, I'm making a feature film.
Anthony: Now, are you sure?
Julie: Yes, I am. I'm making a feature film.
- Crazy creditsThe credits end with "The Souvenir Part 2 coming soon"
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Best Movies of 2019 (So Far) (2019)
- SoundtracksGhost Town (Extended Version)
Performed by The Specials
Written by Jerry Dammers
Licenced courtesy of Chrysalis Records Ltd.
Publishing by BMG Rights Management UK Ltd., a BMG Company
Swinton Byrne does not, in any way, give a bad performance; in fact, it is rather good. But she lacks the depth and subtlety required to carry the main role in a two-hour movie. Adding to the trouble is Burke whose Tom is as bland as kale and as common as a condo construction project in downtown Toronto. This character is so lacking in charisma and charm that the film becomes an unintentional mystery as the viewer is left to wonder what Julie could possibly see in him with or without his shortcomings.
A sad irony is a scene in the film in which a film teacher explains that "Psycho" was a success as most scenes were normal, thus making its abnormal, frightening scenes stand out more. If only writer/director Joanna Hogg had followed the advice that she had written for one of her secondary characters. While the narrative of "The Souvenir" is consistent, it does not have any scene that stands out, making it long and dull.
A saving grace was the presence of Tilda Swinton (Swinton Byrne's real-life mother) portraying Julie's mother - emphasis on the word 'presence' which was missing in the primary performances. The film would have benefited with more scenes that included Swinton Senior.
"The Souvenir" is hyper-praised in the most baffling of ways by most critics. One of the praises is that it's based on a true story. Well, there are billions of true stories that don't make good films. Sadly, "The Souvenir" is one of them. - dbamateurcritic
- proud_luddite
- Jul 22, 2019
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Kỷ Vật
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,036,737
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $78,400
- May 19, 2019
- Gross worldwide
- $1,777,486
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1