The Souvenir is a drama written anddirected by Joanna Hogg, and recipient of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2019. Set in the early 1980’s in London, the plot of the movie revolves around the twists and turns in Julie and Anthony’s relationship, from the very first sparks in the beginning, to falling in love and then gradually coming into conflict with each other, which utlimately leads to a dead-end in their relationship.
The movie is detail-oriented, and director Joanna Hogg uses different techniques to portray the characters and the progression of their story. One interesting technique is how she reveals Julie’s monologue in some scenes by using a diary form, amid her voice-over narrative.
The film reinterprets the definition of “souvenir”, exploring the characters’ contradictory addiction towards their toxic relationship. "Souvenirs" appear in the movie in three forms: a painting in a museum, a love token and memories left after the end of the relationship. The main character Julie is a young and aspiring film student. She attempts to make a good movie, yet her low self-confidence and indecision tend to hinder her filmmaking progress. During a party, Julie meets Anthony, a mysterious and sophisticated man. His charming temperament attracts her attention as soon as they strike up a conversation. She is intrigued by Anthony’s ingenious and unique ideas about film, then she quickly falls head over heels for his charm.
In one scene, Anthony breaks the silence between them with the following words —
“You’re very special, Julie.”
Julie feels happy when she hears this, but she claims that she is just an ordinary person. Anthony disagrees saying, “You’re not normal, you’re a freak.”
Immediately, Julie’s smile fades away and her face shows a look of confusion and anger. But Anthony goes on to explain what he means —
“Your fragility. You’re not average. You’re lost, and you’ll always be lost.”
Surprisingly, although these words sound demeaning, they touch Julie’s heart as she feels as though he truly understands her. Not only is Anthony able to read her innate insecurities, but he thinks of her as “special”. It is the most beautiful thing she has ever heard; simple, yet soulful. It also reflects the essence of love, one is always the one and only in the lover’s eyes, special and irreplaceable.
Everything seems enchanting until Julie discovers Anthony’s dark secret — he is a heroin addict and sneakily does bad things behind her back. He always asks her to lend him money and sneaks out in the middle of the night when she is asleep. He even pretends there is a robbery in their place and acts like a victim when he is actually the one who has stolen the things.
When Julie realizes the unpleasant truth behind the facade of their romance, she is no longer able to lie to herself and experiences a deep sense of melancholy crash over her. Throughout the movie, her vulnerability and tremendous restlessness is shown in her sorrowful glances and anxious questioning of Anthony.
The toxic relationship weighs on Julie’s mind, but in spite of her struggles with Anthony’s dark side, she finds something fatally irresistible about him. She can't resist him, just as he can't resist drugs.
As the story unfolds, Venice marks the spot where their relationship finally falls apart. On the train to Venice, Julie bursts into tears in front of Anthony. Both of them know that their relationship is dying, but they still pretend it can last forever,and they continue their trip, dressing up elegantly and walking together to different beautiful places. These moments are seemingly passionate and alluring, yet the intensity utterly unravels them.
Trace back to a scene when they first started dating – they are looking at a painting together by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, which is also entitled “The Souvenir”. The painting shows a girl carving her lover’s initials into a tree. Both of them have completely different interpretations of the painting, which is a subtle sign that they are not right for each other.
The concept of “souvenir” also appears in other scenes of the movie. After Anthony returns from a business trip, he brings some erotic lingerie for Julie as a gift, which represents the beginning of their relationship. The last “souvenir” appears as an emotional remnant of the relationship when they are no longer lovers.
After the relationship ends, Julie pours all her grief into her film work. Her volatile emotions are hidden in her trance-like state and pensive glimpses, the insanity of love gradually replaced by vacancy and solitude. This is the last “souvenir” of their whirlwind romance, the invisible bruises – the pain that lingers on with her, which can only be healed by the passage of time.
Overall, I think the movie perfectly brings out the revelation of how relationships influence us, how they blend in our lives, what they take away from us and give us at the same time. According to Joanna Hogg, there will be a sequel to this movie, so that is definitely worth looking forward to.
