The Eternal Daughter
- Ed Guiney
- Emma Norton
- Andrew Lowe
- Joanna Hogg
- Tilda Swinton
- Joseph Mydell
- Carly-Sophia Davies
companies
- A24
- BBC Film
- Element Pictures
- JWH Films
- A24
- BFI Distribution
- 6 September 2022 (2022-09-06) (Venice)
- 2 December 2022 (2022-12-02) (United States)[1]
- United Kingdom
- United States
The Eternal Daughter is a 2022 Gothic mystery drama film produced, written and directed by Joanna Hogg. It stars Tilda Swinton in a double role, as both a middle-aged filmmaker and her elderly mother who are guests at a mysterious hotel. Joseph Mydell and Carly-Sophia Davies are featured in supporting roles.
The Eternal Daughter premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2022, and was released in the United States on 2 December 2022 by A24.
Plot
Middle-aged filmmaker Julie takes her elderly mother, Rosalind, to a secluded and seemingly empty hotel. Julie's father has recently died and Julie wants to spend time with her mother with the hope of making a film about her. Shrouded in an eerie fog, the hotel is a former family home of Rosalind's and she recounts painful memories that occurred at the location, including a miscarriage and the death of a family member during World War II. Julie begins to regret dredging up these memories but Rosalind assures her that it's not her fault and she has had happy memories at the childhood home as well.
One night, Julie walks into her room to find her mother's dog gone. She searches the grounds frantically, enlisting the help of Bill, a hotel employee. Rosalind returns to the room and finds the dog sitting on the bed. She thanks Bill for his help and they share a drink as they bond over their shared grief—Julie's father and Bill's wife, who has also died recently. The following day, Julie overhears Rosalind talking with Bill. Rosalind says she feels sorry for Julie because she has no children of her own and dotes on her mother instead.
On Rosalind's birthday, Julie prepares a special supper for her, but when Rosalind says she is not hungry, Julie breaks down. She feels she cannot be happy when her mother is not happy and that she fears for the future as she has no children to take care of her when she is older. While bringing her mother a birthday cake, she cries and it is revealed that she is alone at the table and that her mother died in the past.
The following day, Julie works on her screenplay and then prepares to depart. As she leaves the hotel it is revealed to be full of guests and staff. The receptionist seems visibly concerned for Julie, who with the help of Bill gets into a taxi. The fog around the hotel gradually clears.
Cast
The cast includes:[4]
- Tilda Swinton as Julie and Rosalind Hart
- Joseph Mydell as Bill
- Carly-Sophia Davies as Hotel receptionist
- Crispin Buxton as Cousin
- Louis as Louis the dog
Production
On January 18, 2021, it was announced that a film written and directed by Joanna Hogg and starring Tilda Swinton had wrapped.[5] On January 27, 2021, it was confirmed that A24 acquired the worldwide distribution rights.[6][7]
The film was shot in Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.[6]
Release
The film premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 6 September 2022.[2][8] It also screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival[9][10] and the 60th New York Film Festival.[11][12] It was released in the United States on 2 December 2022. BFI Distribution acquired U.K. distribution rights in March 2023.[13]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 136 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Tilda Swinton² is haunting in the gothic ghost story The Eternal Daughter, an ode to familial female ties that leaves much to unravel after the fog lifts."[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]
Year-end lists
The film appeared on a number of critics' lists of the best films of 2022: [16]
- 2nd – Molly Haskell, Screen Slate
- 2nd – David Sims, The Atlantic
- 2nd – Florence Almozini, Film Comment Poll
- 3rd – Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com
- 3rd – Justin Chang, The Los Angeles Times
- 3rd – Reverse Shot
References
- ^ "The Eternal Daughter". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Eternal Daughter". La Biennale di Venezia. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "The Eternal Daughter (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production – The Eternal Daughter". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Barfield, Charles (18 January 2021). "Tilda Swinton Has Wrapped Filming On A Secret Feature With Director Joanna Hogg". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (27 January 2021). "A24 Takes World Rights To Under-The-Radar Ghost Story 'The Eternal Daughter' Starring Tilda Swinton & Exec-Produced By Martin Scorsese". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (27 January 2021). "A24 acquires worldwide rights to Tilda Swinton drama 'The Eternal Daughter'". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (26 July 2022). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Aronofsky, Inarritu, Field, Dominik, Guadagnino, Hogg, McDonagh, Panahi In Competition". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "The Eternal Daughter". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (28 July 2022). "Toronto Film Festival 2022 Expecting "Full Houses" Says CEO With Star Power World Premieres: Jennifer Lawrence's 'Causeway', Anya Taylor-Joy's 'The Menu', Jessica Chastain's 'The Good Nurse', Jonathan Majors & Glen Powell's 'Devotion' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "The Eternal Daughter". Film at Lincoln Center. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (9 August 2022). "New York Film Festival Sets Main Slate For 60th Edition". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (22 March 2023). "'The Eternal Daughter': BFI Distribution Acquires Tilda Swinton Ghost Tale For UK & Irish Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ "The Eternal Daughter". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ "The Eternal Daughter". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ^ Hogg, Joanna. "The Eternal Daughter". Year-End Lists. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
External links
- The Eternal Daughter at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
- Unrelated (2007)
- Archipelago (2010)
- Exhibition (2013)
- The Souvenir (2019)
- The Souvenir Part II (2021)
- The Eternal Daughter (2022)