A semi-sequel to her two Souvenir films, which starred Tilda Swinton and her real-life daughter, The Eternal Daughter once again sees the brilliant British director Joanna Hogg digging into her life for a story that blurs the boundaries between truth and fiction.
A24
The Souvenir (parts one and two) focuses on her younger days as a film student. The Eternal Daughter is a ghost story about a filmmaker (Tilda Swinton) who goes to a hotel in an old English estate with her aging mother (also played by Swinton) and discovers that they’re the only guests there.
The estate, which has some family significance, stirs up old memories, as well as some more supernatural visions.
But the most impressive element is the multi-shaded performance(s) Swinton, the boldest, most versatile actor working in cinema today. Here, acting across from herself, she fleshes out effortlessly a family dynamic through whispers, glances, and dinner-table chat.