Joanna Hogg’s “The Eternal Daughter”

The Eternal Daughter (2022)

Reading the tea leaves of memory in a secluded manor, The Eternal Daughter quietly weaves a story of memory, connection and loss

For her elderly mother’s birthday, Julie takes her to the stately home where she once lived travelling through the fog and twilight as the film opens. Both roles are played by Tilda Swinton. What becomes readily apparent is that this is a film about memory. As Julie tries to sleep on their first night, the manor creaks and wind blows as if she were on a schooner lost on a sea. Aside from the minimal staff, guests are not to be found and apparitions linger by windows.

The tone of the film has much in common with Apichatpong Weerasethakul'‘s films with a hint of Bergman’s “Persona” but the tone is quite unique. It moves along at a leisurely pace like the fog wafting through the branches of the trees outside. Days come and go in what is a strangely comforting setting that hints at secrets in its walls and around corners. It wouldn’t have surprised me at all if the booming from “Memoria” stirred Julie awake.

I’ll defer from describing more, but if a leisurely if mysterious meditation on memory, connection and loss sounds appealing, this is a film for you.