this is a story about the importance of making mistakes, of learning, of pulling yourself up and trying again–whether in love, sex, art or friendship; a delirious 'making of' film: the making of an artist and the making of a life in all its messy glory
the two parts of Souvenir make a fascinating and thoroughly watchable whole; Joanna Hogg triumphs once more, bringing her rich and vivid emotional tapestry to the screen with warmth and tenderness. It is, like the first film, an absolute must-see
the second half of Joanna Hogg's masterful coming-of-age story offers a dreamy and brilliant deconstruction of the first; Like "The Souvenir" itself (both parts of it), Byrne's performance gains its power from a steady accumulation of small glimmers
luminous and layered; It's an unusually revealing account of a woman figuring out not only who she wants to be, but storing up experiences, good and bad, while gradually developing the language and maturity to turn them into art
Joanna Hogg has given us an amazingly luminous self-portrait of the film-maker as a young woman: metatextual, confessional and autobiographical; This rich and mysterious film is a real achievement
it's a beguiling work from a master of her craft that holds the art of filmmaking in its piercing gaze, and speaks to an uncompromising vision of what cinema can be with a little faith and imagination
Honor Swinton Byrne is superb; It’s a great filmmaker’s youthful self-portrait, affectionate and critical by turns, and a welcome reminder that at their purest, affection and criticism spring from the same generous impulse
a masterwork of self-introspection through the canvas of cinema, "The Souvenir: Part II" is a meta epic of delicate proportions that constantly folds into itself
a film of understated warmth, profound emotional complexity, and eminently British dry humor, "The Souvenir Part II" is a vital tribute to art as a necessary component of life
"Part II" is a generous gift of a film; It's a beautiful picture: a specific autobiography and a reminder of all the brushstrokes we ourselves have made as we've moved through time, sometimes so slowly, and yet always so fast
by Jo-Ann Titmarsh [HeyUGuys ]
by Pat Brown [Slant Magazine ]
