Filmmaker Joanna Hogg’s highly autobiographical film centers on Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne), a film student in 1980s England who takes up with Anthony (Tom Burke), a smug know-it-all who is obviously a phony, remaining devoted to him despite his behavior, which grows increasingly erratic and dangerous. As her graduation project, the well-to-do Julie is filming a painfully earnest drama set in a crumbling seaport when she meets Anthony at a party. Claiming to be with the Foreign Office, he impresses her with his learning and fastidious manners and he moves into her nicely-appointed flat. Julie is apparently paying for everything—including the meals they share in posh restaurants—and it soon becomes obvious that Anthony is not merely a parasite, but also an addict who will resort to stealing from Julie to support his habit. Even after he stages a burglary of the apartment, Julie stays committed to Anthony, and her parents are unaccountably supportive. When he disappears, Julie’s mother (Tilda Swinton, the lead’s real-life mother) comforts her as they await word of what has happened to him. Swinton Byrne effectively conveys Julie’s youthful vulnerability, while Burke’s performance is a model of smarmy duplicity masked by bullying self-confidence in this powerful drama about a modern Svengali and his hapless victim. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
The Souvenir
Lionsgate, 120 min., R, DVD: $19.99, Aug. 6
The Souvenir
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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