‘The Souvenir: Chapter Two’ Widens the Divide Between Critics and Audiences [Cannes]

One thing some detractors of “The Souvenir” films may not get, or maybe they do and just don’t care, is that they purposely meander. Every mundane gesture or stilted silence in these two chapters seems to come straight from the personal experiences of its director Joanna Hogg. That may not be enough to convince some that these are a great set of movies, but, hey, at least those naysayers can understand what all the fuss is about and why critics are gushing non-stop over them.

Anglo-Saxon critics, that is. The French have no interest. “The Souvenir”, released two years ago, wasn’t even released in French cinemas. Thierry Fremaux balked at choosing them for Cannes. American audiences as well have either ignored or maligned the film. A tepid 6.4 rating on IMDB, an astoundingly bad 36% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and a horrendous $1.7 million box-office. If the term “critic-proof” ever existed for a film, this would be it.

And so, with all that being said, the Director’s Fortnight team has still decided to screen the second and final chapter of Hogg’s account of her film school days in London. To please American and British press? Perhaps. But this is a much more precise and confident follow-up to the original. “The Souvenir — Chapter Two” has its protagonist (Honor Byrne) finally gaining the confidence needed to get over the horrid relationship she had with junkie Anthony in the first film. What better way for Julie to heal than to processes her traumatic experiences via filmmaking. If Part One is the story of Julie and Anthony, then Part Two is the story of Julie and her creativity.

In a terrific performance from Byrne, she captures the muse-like essence needed for Hogg. This is very much a meta work through and through. An experience about an experience about an experience. And it is thoroughly filled with these gentle, painful and joyous memories Hogg must have lived through in her twenties.

And yet, how personal can a film be before it becomes too obtuse, too vague for the viewer. As I was watching both ‘Souvenir’ films I wondered exactly how one can go beyond just admiring the artistry and transcend that admiration into actually liking the film. I don’t think there is a way. I watch films to feel something, to see the world in variously different ways, to be absorbed by the creativity, but the ‘Souvenir’ films remain too detached to fully click for me, no matter how much I try to like them.