The Souvenir: Part II

2021 • 107 minutes

About this movie

Picking up where The Souvenir concluded, Part 2 joins Julie in the aftermath of Anthony's death. She has moved home to try to distance herself from the memories of their relationship, but she can't escape her need to process recent events. She returns to London and to film school and attempts to pick up her life. The film tracks the next five years; beginning in 1985, the year of Anthony's death and concluding at the end of the decade. It's a time of change, politically and socially, and against this backdrop, Julie starts to use her filmmaking as a way to analyse and understand her relationship with Anthony. She is determined to unpick the truth of who Anthony was – was he really a spy or was he just a fantasist? Julie questions Anthony's friends and family, but it seems everyone had a different sense of him. Julie explores the world of film beyond the film school; visiting Patrick on the set of his ambitious and failing Hollywood movie. Through all this, Julie begins to find her filmmaking voice – beyond the guidance of Anthony or the other influential male voices in her world. By the end of the film, Julie completes her graduation film, The Souvenir, which she dedicates to Anthony. After film school, Julie begins work as a filmmaker and moves into a new phase of her life.