Film Review: THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER (2022): Tilda Swinton Stars in a Stylish, Spooky Tale That Leaves a Bit to the Imagination

The Eternal Daughter Review

The Eternal Daughter (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Joanna Hogg and starring Tilda Swinton, Carly-Sophia Davies, August Joshi and Joseph Mydell.

Consider director Joanna Hogg’s expertly crafted drama, The Eternal Daughter, a horror movie for the art house movie crowd. It has all the makings of a big Hollywood horror film in terms of its eerie setting but it ultimately plays more like a character study about a mother and daughter coming to terms with their past. Tilda Swinton stars as both the mother and the daughter and it’s an inspired casting choice to have Swinton, a master of her craft, carry almost the entire weight of the film on her shoulders. If the movie is ultimately a case of style over substance, the style the movie possesses is enough to keep the viewer riveted throughout the running time of Hogg’s intriguing film.

As the film opens, a filmmaker/writer named Julie (Swinton) and her aging mother, Rosalind (Swinton again), arrive at a hotel on a dark night where they are disappointed to discover that a room that was booked in advance is not currently available. The weather outside is cold, to say the least. Carly-Sophia Davies plays the only employee who is seemingly on duty at the hotel and Davies plays the part hilariously with her enormously negative attitude. As plenty of door keys seem to be visible, it becomes comical as this hotel employee insists that there is nothing to fit Julie and Rosalind’s requests for a particular vacancy.

Louis the Dog is also with Julie and Rosalind and the dog almost steals the movie right out from the Oscar winner, Swinton, at a couple of key points in the picture. Louis runs away and when he is eventually found sitting back in Julie and Rosalind’s room, one can’t help but wonder if Louis ever did escape or it was all imaginary. Or is something else going on?

There is a subtle and interesting sequence where Julie and Rosalind are ordering dinner and the aforementioned hotel employee is there to try to serve them at an expedited pace. There are only four things on the menu and this employee makes the decision that the mom and daughter need to order their food selection quickly. It’s almost like the worker has somewhere better to be. Julie and Rosalind have a connection that makes them wonder about what makes each of them feel fulfilled in life. Swinton captures the essence of both her characters to a tee and in this scene, there is a fascinating rapport between both key characters.

Joseph Mydell is one of the few supporting performers in the movie. He appears as a mysterious worker on the premises (a porter) who Julie ends up having a conversation with. Pretty soon, this character becomes an excuse for our characters to reveal information about their past. Mydell is excellent in his brief screen time, adding a sense of dignity to the proceedings here. As the mother and daughter await the arrival of a cousin, it is rather humorous that when the cousin finally shows up, he’s sort of given the brush off. Julie and Rosalind may have more important things to do and emotions they need to get in touch with.

This film focuses on regret, choices that are made or not made by the film’s central characters and the complexity of art. Hogg structures her film like a thriller or even a horror film, if you will, but the terrors here that unfold are true to life and are rather ambiguous in nature. They dwell from the past, the present and the future. This hotel in the film was once a place where Rosalind lived and there are startling memories she must confront while staying there again.

The Eternal Daughter invites the audience to question everything they know about life and how the past changes who we become and how our future selves need to capture the past in order to proceed with the future. The film focuses on its central characters’ relationship with each other. Hogg’s direction seems to be deceptively complex making us believe there will be a payoff which never seems to come but maybe the payoff does arrive in an unexpected way. I think it does. Swinton’s complexity in both her roles will leave the viewer pondering some key questions long after the final credits roll.

If The Eternal Daughter has flaws that make it less than perfect, some of those problems are made up for by the atmosphere the film creates. At times, the surroundings of our mother and daughter seem to trap them in a part of their past in which they cannot escape. By the film’s end, at least one of them has moved forward, for better or worse. This is a remarkably made film which isn’t for everybody but will captivate those willing to put in the extra effort.

Rating: 7.5/10

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