Tilda Swinton’s Creepy Mystery The Eternal Daughter Is Worth A Watch This Winter
From shows like Netflix’s Bodies and films like The Pale Blue Eye and A Haunting in Venice, there’s been no shortage of gripping mystery dramas recently. If you loved these, The Eternal Daughter is the new highly talked about mystery to watch.
Directed by Exhibition and The Souvenir director Joanna Hogg, it stars Tilda Swinton as both Julie, an artist, and her elderly mother, Rosalind in a gothic mystery set in a strange and creepy hotel.
Currently playing in UK cinemas, the film has received critical acclaim for its atmosphere and performances and is more than worth a watch.
What is The Eternal Daughter about?
The Eternal Daughter is actually something of a sequel to Hogg’s previous films The Souvenir and The Souvenir Part II, both of which starred Swinton as Rosalind- but you don’t have to have seen those two films to get this one.
Rather than a drama, this film leads more into a Gothic atmosphere and begins with Julie, a filmmaker, taking the elderly Rosalind to a hotel in Wales. The hotel, isolated and apparently pretty much empty, is in fact the family home of the mother, which she hasn’t seen in years. Julie is there in the hopes of finding inspiration for her next story which she’s been chasing, but the return of uncomfortable and painful memories irks Rosalind. Julie begins to wonder if perhaps making the trip was a bad idea, especially when odd occurrences start happening around them.
What makes it worth watching?
The Eternal Daughter isn’t quite an out-and-out horror film, but its unnerving and strange feel makes it a perfect wintery watch. At its core is a story about the relationship between mother and daughter, and Swinton’s double casting definitely makes them feel like almost the same person.
The film’s trailer gives a glimpse of the creepy vibe you can expect, with Julie driving through the fog towards the old manor house before announcing “Mum, we’re here.”
“Are we the only people staying here?”, Rosalind asks, before Julie hears odd noises during the night- but according to the receptionist, no one else has heard them. Rosalind is clearly disturbed by her memories increasingly resurfacing, as she cryptically references a feeling of “dread” coming back to her the longer she stays. With her curiosity peaked as she tries to keep her mother happy, Julie sets out to investigate the truth.
Where can I watch?
The A24 and BBC film also stars Joesph Mydell (Mrs Wilson) and Carly-Sophia Davis (Manipulations), and is currently on a limited release in UK cinemas, and arrives in the US on 2nd December and will be available on streaming through BFI Player in January. You can watch the trailer below.
