Our latest episode of the Seventh Row podcast is the perfect companion piece to our new ebook, Tour of memories: The creative process behind Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir. We discuss the film in depth and explore the insights gleaned from the in-depth interviews in the book.
About the podcast episode on The Souvenir
“This film assumes the viewer has a huge amount of context that I don’t think most of us had.” – Mary Angela Rowe. Through repeated viewings and research, we are here to provide this context.
In this episode of the podcast, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney (@bwestcineaste), Executive Editor Orla Smith (@orlamango), and Editor at Large Mary Angela Rowe (@lapsedvictorian) discuss Joanna Hogg‘s The Souvenir, cringeworthy class relations, celebrate the film’s sound editing, parse the film’s toxic relationship, and much more.
Intrigued? Get the Book
If you enjoyed the podcast on The Souvenir, we go even deeper into how the film works and how it was made in the book, Tour of Memories: The Creative Process Behind Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir
In this episode of the podcast, we discuss how, with The Souvenir, Joanna Hogg continues to explore her pet topics — the stifling nature of privilege, the awkwardness and foibles of the British upper class, women’s stories, and more. At the same time, the film marks a significant departure from Hogg’s previous films. Where her first three features were contemporary dramas focused on the dynamics of relationships, The Souvenir is Hogg’s first period piece, her first coming-of-age story, and her first film to centre a young female protagonist. In this episode of the podcast, we go deep into all of these topics and the film.
Set in 1980s London, The Souvenir is a film very much of its time and place. Understanding that milieu is essential to appreciating the nuances and complexities of the film, and we give this context in our discussion on the podcast. The Souvenir focuses on a central romantic relationship from the perspective of the woman. The central relationship in The Souvenir is unambiguously toxic: Julie’s (Honor Swinton-Byrne) paramour, Anthony (Tom Burke), is a decade her senior and a heroin addict sponging off her generosity and privilege. Hogg helps us understand why Julie is so enamoured with Anthony — he is the one person who takes her seriously and exposes her to art and culture and the world beyond her privileged circle.
Show notes and recommended reading
This podcast episode was designed to accompany the book on The Souvenir, which is available to purchase as an ePub and PDF.
In 2016, Alex wrote about how the promise Tom Hiddleston displayed in Joanna Hogg’s films was being thwarted by his star persona (a situation that hasn’t improved in the last three years).
Shooting kitchens and living rooms as different spaces was also a subject in Alex’s interview with Aquarius director Kleber Mendonça Filho.
This episode was edited by Edward von Aderkas.
Errata:
- Alex discovered Joanna Hogg in 2013, not 2016.
- The order of the sex scenes discussed is not the correct order from the film. The scene with the other man occurs after Julie’s sexual satisfaction with Anthony.
More on The Souvenir from Seventh Row to complement the podcast
Discover the top 5 reasons we love Joanna Hogg
Read about our three favourite scenes from The Souvenir
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