“Extraordinary” British drama hailed as a “dazzling masterpiece” is now streaming on the BBC

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A British drama hailed as a “masterpiece” has found a streaming home after airing on the BBC.

Joanna Hogg wrote and directed The Souvenir, a film inspired by her own experiences as a film student.

Okay, so this movie takes place in 1984 and it’s about a film student named Julie, played by Honor Swinton Byrne. She’s pretty driven and comes from a comfortable background. The story follows her falling for Anthony, an older guy – Tom Burke plays him – who works at the Foreign Office. It’s basically about their first relationship.

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Tilda Swinton plays the role of Julie’s mother, Rosalind, alongside Richard Ayoade as Patrick and Jack McMullen as Jack.

I was so excited to finally watch The Souvenir! It’s now up on BBC iPlayer after they showed it and The Souvenir Part II as a double feature on BBC Two last night. The second film continues Julie’s story, showing how she copes after a really tough loss, and that’s available to stream too, which is great!

I was so excited when The Souvenir finally came out in 2019! It had already made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival, winning the big World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize, and everyone was talking about it. It really resonated with critics, and it was amazing to see it get nominated for eight awards at the British Independent Film Awards – a well-deserved recognition, honestly!

Hogg’s film is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics’ score of 90% out of 184 reviews.

Critics have hailed the film as a thoughtful exploration of memory and class, and a sharp look at the life of a filmmaker (according to the Observer). Rolling Stone also highlighted the performance of Swinton Byrne, predicting great things for her, and called the movie a stunning masterpiece – one of the year’s best films from 2019.

Seriously, everyone needs to remember Honor Swinton Byrne’s name! I just saw Joanna Hogg’s latest film and she absolutely shines in it. It’s a beautiful, stunning movie – honestly, one of the best I’ve seen all year.

The magazine Empire praised the film as a “subtle and beautiful masterpiece,” noting that Joanna Hogg skillfully portrays a woman navigating her artistic growth while dealing with a harmful relationship. They described it as a truly understated and exquisite gem.

The Souvenir and The Souvenir Part II are streaming on BBC iPlayer.

Okay, gamers, listen up! The latest issue of Living Legends just dropped, and it’s all about Dolly Parton! I just grabbed my copy – you can find ‘Dolly at 80’ in shops or online for only £8.99. Definitely a must-have for any fan!

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2026-01-20 15:20