I had heard good things about “The Souvenir” so I was curious to see what this was all about. This is the story of a young film student in the early 80s who gets into a tumltuous and complicated relationship with a drug addict. This film started really slow and never really picked up the pace…this was definitely more of slow burn. I never really saw the appeal in “Anthony” (played by Tom Burke, who played the character well) and he just seemed like a douchebag from the beginning even when he wasn’t high. I never really saw how his relationship with “Julie” (Honor Swinton Byrne…who happens to be Tilda Swinton’s daughter) began, I felt like the film kinda fast-forwarded through some stuff. Tilda Swinton played Julie’s mother…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film where Swinton wasn’t an absolute scene-stealer…this was no exception…she’s so good (and the hair and makeup were flawless).

This was a very art-house type film (in terms of the way it was shot, the dialogue and whatnot) that won’t be for everyone. Overall, it was kind of monotone and somewhat of a sludge to get through. I guess it kinda feels like real life in a way. It was one of those film where you didn’t really like either of the main characters (Julie was too submissive and naive and Anthony was just an ass) and it was just anti-climatic. Unless you really want to waste 2 hours of your time, I’d recommend skipping this one. Currently steaming on Amazon Prime.