“Extraordinary” British drama hailed as a “dazzling masterpiece” is now streaming on the BBC

A British drama hailed as a “masterpiece” has found a streaming home after airing on the BBC.

Written and directed by Joanna Hogg, The Souvenir is a semi-autobiographical work for the filmmaker, looking back on her time in film school.

Set in 1984, the film stars Honor Swinton Byrne as ambitious, privileged film student Julie and follows her first love affair with Anthony (Tom Burke), an older man working for the Foreign Office.

Tilda Swinton stars as Julie’s mum Rosalind, with Richard Ayoade featuring as Patrick and Jack McMullen as Jack.

The Souvenir is now streaming on BBC iPlayer after airing on BBC Two last night as a double bill with its sequel, The Souvenir Part II. Hogg’s follow-up to Julie’s story, which sees dealing with the aftermath of a devastating loss, is also available to stream on iPlayer.

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Released in 2019 after premiering at Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, The Souvenir received critical acclaim and earned eight nominations at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

Hogg’s film is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics’ score of 90% out of 184 reviews.

The film has been celebrated as “an extraordinary rumination on memory and privilege” as well as an “incisive” movie on what it means to be a filmmaker (via Observer). Elsewhere, Rolling Stone praised Swinton Byrne as one to watch, calling the film a “dazzling masterpiece” and “one of the best” of 2019.

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“Remember the name Honor Swinton Byrne. In Joanna Hogg’s delicate, dazzling masterpiece, her star is born. Definitely one of the best movies so far this year,” their review read.

Similarly, Empire called the film an “understated, exquisite gem”, writing: “Joanna Hogg paints a precise picture of a woman trying to develop her own artistic vision while caught in the slipstream of a toxic relationship. An understated, exquisite gem of a film.”

The Souvenir and The Souvenir Part II are streaming on BBC iPlayer.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).