‘The Souvenir’ Film Review: Sundance Award-Winner Weaves a Dreamy But Honest Memory Piece

In British auteur Joanna Hogg’s exquisitely composed fourth feature “The Souvenir” — winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic competition — a beguiling layer of innocence surrounds its central character Julie. It’s a sweet, translucent shell actor Honor Swinton-Byrne (Tilda Swinton’s daughter, terrific) almost can’t help but wear on behalf of the twenty-something Londoner she plays, while she teeters on the brink of breaking out of it.

Seen from the other side of one’s mid-40s, it’s a recognizable shield of youthfulness, one that rips open and vanishes when you least expect it to.