• 1.0 in June 2019
  • A subtle character study—a story of first love and addition
  • The final shot sticks with you—it’s a giant door opening—sounds simple- but given the context of the film, her awakening, naivety (not just sexual, but about life in general)—we’re going from the sealed off movie studio here to opening the door to the outside- an amazing visual metaphor
The final shot sticks with you – genius – one of the best shots of 2019
  • The film, and it’s in the text, references the Jean-Honoré Fragonard titular artwork—intelligent discussion between Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke. Both leads are really good here—Swinton Byrne is Tilda’s daughter (who also excels, as she always does, in a small role here) – her looks almost resemble Keira Knightley more so than Tilda though—Tom Burke is a mixture of an English Stacey Keach and a young Albert Finney with the requisite mixture of charm and acidity
  • Great shot of Swinton Byrne on a pay phone through an open door, another stand out is on a date of theirs in a room flooded with lamps—I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a triumph of mise-en-scene though
  • It feels like a found film from 1983 (which both a description and a compliment to the costume and décor work)—16mm—I see the Rohmer influence—it could be a lost Rohmer film (in English obviously)
  • Viewing 2.0 in November 2019
  • Again- not about the film but that A24 with the year they are having in 2019—I think 4 of the best 7 films thus far are from A24
  • The film has a strong meta and autobiographical reading of the film–  Honor Swinton Byrne is Hogg- she’s in film school and making a neorealist film. She sounds like a hack talking about it- even bumps into the camera once awkwardly. The Tom Burke character asks, with a dagger, if she’s fascinated in rot. She calls it “interesting” over and over and sounds anything but. He’s challenging her. Both positive and negatives. Positive- “Why are they more real than me?” he asks. Talks about Powell and Pressburger and how they achieved something truthful without documenting reality. Then later he says– “Stop inviting me to torture you”. Impressive writing
  • Hogg is observational, this is a memoir – with much to say on art—both hers as an auteur and in larger context
  • The Fragonard work comes in the mail from the Burke character – 3 times total in the text
The Fragonard work comes in the mail from the Burke character – 3 times total in the text
  • A formal achievement- one tying bind is a reoccurring shot of the landscape as she reads the letter with the trees at the bottom. It happens 3 times—26 minutes in, 70- minutes in and then 92 minutes in and this is the landscape at the very end of the film when the studio (and metaphorical) doors open—really powerful film form
formal achievement- one tying bind is a reoccurring shot of the landscape
  • Reoccurring shot of the mirror at her place- not quite on the level of Exhibition 2013 film from Hogg- tellingly cracked/fractured in one scene
Reoccurring shot of the mirror at her place- not quite on the level of Exhibition 2013 film from Hogg- tellingly cracked/fractured in one scene
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devastating scene with Richard Ayoade
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painful and truthful exchanges
  • The ending packs a wallop. Honor Swinton Byrne stares at the camera and the massive studio door opens to reveal the trees and landscape
  • Understated—when Tilda tells her daughter of Burke—she says “the worst”- a brilliant scene
  • Strong composition and use of hallways- Hogg doesn’t achieve the highs of Archipelago in this regard, Ozu, or Hou Hsiao-Hsien but still- a few really nice compositions—the final one and the phone through the doorway mentioned above the best  
  • The film is a series of conversations, shots of her in film school, posh dinners, yuppie conversations and parties with her in the mirror again and again.
  • The finale, a few compositions, and Hogg as a clear auteur—a realist
  • Highly Recommend- top 10 of the year quality film- maybe even leaning HR/MS