Tuesday, November 01, 2022

The Haunting of Tilda Swinton


One of my favorite movies out of NYFF this year was Joanna Hogg's The Eternal Daughter starring Tilda Swinton -- vaguely a third part to her Souvenir duology of films it stars Tilda Swinton and Tilda Swinton and is basically a gothic ghost story set in an empty hotel in the British countryside. Here is my review from Pajiba -- I said:

"The very best of Ghost Stories seek to unsettle this fabric of understanding—to fog up the lines between real and unreal, between life and afterlife. Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daughter immediately ranks among the very best of the Ghost Stories. One which interrogates reality, memory, personhood and self, by the simplest of its twists and turns. I am quite frankly astonished by it, and can’t believe it’s only just been made. This feels like a forever thing, one hidden behind a thin veil until Joanna Hogg made it visible. Blessings never cease."

And I meant every word! This movie, while not brimming with "scares" like the kind you see in a James Wan movie -- apologies to fans of CG Ghost Faces Popping Out but there are no  CG Ghost Faces Popping Out -- nails the vibe I personally want from a Ghost Film; it's contemplative and slow and sad about regrets and things unsaid and it seeps deep into your bones and into your heart. I'm dying to watch this one again. It is easily my favorite thing that Joanna Hogg has directed. A24 is releasing the film in theaters and on demand on December 2nd, so stay tuned. And here's the trailer:



1 comment:

Laramie Dean said...

This is exactly what I need in my life right now, and the--thank god--antidote to all the extremely non-scary ghost films I've subjected myself to for the last twelve years or so. Thank you, as always, for the recommendation!