The Souvenir Part II is not just a stroll down memory lane for British director Joanna Hogg. It is a powerful portrait of the filmmaking process itself. Although designed to be a sequel, the film stands alone in its exploration of love, life and cinema. Shown as part of the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes in 2021, it was released in France on 2 February.
Joanna Hogg kept her diaries from the 1980s, and even certain items of clothing and objects, like talismans for a time capsule. Did she suspect that forty years later she would hand these items over to her team of actors to make two semi-autobiographical feature films, The Souvenir Part I and Part II?
