--- title: "The Eternal Daughter: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-eternal-daughter/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-eternal-daughter" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Eternal Daughter (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 16 reviews: 14 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like The Eternal Daughter, and they like it for the same two things. Nearly every review singles out Tilda Swinton’s dual performance as mother and daughter, praised for the small differences she finds between the two rather than the trick of it, and most admire the way Joanna Hogg borrows the shape of an old British ghost story, fog-shrouded hotel and all, to talk about memory and what parents keep from their children. The reservations cluster around pace: several reviews call it slow or slight, and a few feel the genre borrowing stays at the level of pastiche, with The Hollywood Reporter comparing it to anthology television. The spread is narrow at the top and sharp at the bottom. The two real dissents come from the Evening Standard, which finds the double casting distracting and would rather another actor had played the mother, and The Times, which dismisses the film as a pandemic relic that even Swinton cannot rescue. ## The AV Club — Murtada Elfadl Rating A-. 1 December 2022. Hogg crafts a haunting atmospheric mystery that effectively conjures elusive memories through small incidents and explores parental relationships with delicate insight. Swinton delivers an achingly perceptive dual performance that separates and connects the characters emotionally. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/eternal-daughter-movie-review-tilda-swinton-joanna-hogg-1849832630) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2022. The review calls the film an astonishing tour de force for Swinton’s dual performances and Hogg’s direction in this third Souvenir film. It singles out the hotel as a virtual character and the movie’s metaphysical ghost-story elements for praise. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-eternal-daughter-reviewed-a-tour-de-force-for-tilda-swinton) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2022. The critic describes the film as a wondrous ghost story and marvelously atmospheric retooling of the haunted-house thriller, with Swinton’s dual roles as its most audacious and subtle magic. Hogg is praised for turning personal material into a deeply moving tribute with wit and affection. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-11-30/review-eternal-daughter-tilda-swinton-joanna-hogg) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2022. The critic highlights Tilda Swinton's dual performance as transcending gimmickry in a spectral Gothic tale that explores identity and mother-daughter bonds. Hogg uses the ghost story form to examine memory, space and the personal costs of making art about intimate relationships. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/eternal-daughter-review-smart-spooky-mother-daughter-double-act) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 6 September 2022. Festival review. Hogg delivers a slender but haunted coda to the Souvenir films, a spectral reverse shot that beautifully enriches the story of her fictional avatar. Swinton shines in dual roles as the middle-aged Julie and her mother in this elegantly phantom-like ghost story. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/09/the-eternal-daughter-review-joanna-hogg-1234758724/) ## Empire — Steph Green Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2023. The critic finds the film a feast of atmospheric delights with self-aware horror tropes and kitsch style. They single out the emotional clarity in the dual Swinton roles and the exploration of parental enigma and British repression. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-eternal-daughter/) ## Little White Lies — Catherine Bray Rating 4/4/4. 23 November 2023. Swinton's dual role as mother and daughter delivers an eerie and effective portrait of parent-child relationships. The film serves as a subtle, moving extension of the Souvenir universe. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-eternal-daughter) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. Hogg filters upper-middle-class awkwardness through a gothic ghost story in a beautifully shot film anchored by Swinton's distinct dual performance. It is atmospheric, sad and evocative of Hitchcock and The Innocents. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-b956ow/the-eternal-daughter/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2022. Festival review. Hogg and Swinton deliver another resonant personal work that uses ghost story trappings to examine the mother-daughter bond. Swinton's dual performance is remarkable in this modest, intimate piece. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-eternal-daughter-venice-review/5174151.article) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 2023. The critic calls it a deliciously enigmatic mother-daughter psychodrama that rewards patience with its strange rhythms. They praise Swinton's remarkable dual performance and the film's elegant style evoking the unknowability of parents. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/eternal-daughter-review-tilda-swinton-remarkable-2770034) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 3/5. 7 September 2022. The contemplative ghost story offers two strong Swinton performances in an ode to mothers and daughters that builds to an emotional payoff. It remains ruminative and borders on slow-going despite its personal resonance. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-eternal-daughter-2022) ## Evening Standard — Hamish MacBain Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2023. The critic finds the premise suspenseful but notes the dual Swinton roles prove distracting amid intimate conversations. They single out the unhelpful receptionist as a highlight while suggesting another actor for the mother would have improved the dynamic. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-eternal-daughter-movie-review-tilda-swinton-joanna-hogg-b1121966.html) ## Film Comment — Beatrice Loayza 1 December 2022. Hogg crafts a gothic ghost story from the mother-daughter bond, with Swinton's dual role emphasizing alienation, memory, and subtle hauntings in a fog-shrouded Welsh hotel. The film blends autofiction with British horror aesthetics, using sound design, 16mm photography, and restrained performances to explore intergenerational trauma and self-reflection. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/the-family-plot-the-eternal-daughter-joanna-hogg-tilda-swinton-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Marshall Shaffer 11 September 2022. Hogg's meta-fictional mother-daughter ghost story is honest and poignant in refracting the frustration of an artistic process that is only just beginning. It uses horror tropes to express absence and the challenges of cross-generational understanding, with Swinton's double casting amplifying the themes. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-eternal-daughter-review-joanna-hogg-tilda-swinton/) ## The Guardian 25 November 2023. The critic describes an atmospheric drama with a gothic mansion setting and supernatural storytelling influences, focusing on grief, loss and family memories. It offers emotionally potent storytelling with a benign spookiness but stops short of genuine scares. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/25/the-eternal-daughter-review-joanna-hogg-tilda-swinton-the-souvenir) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin 6 September 2022. Festival review. The film is a partly effective stylistic swerve for Hogg into horror-tinged territory, with Swinton's dual performance providing emotional resonance at its core. It is undermined by overly academic pastiche of genre tropes that feels like schlocky anthology television. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/tilda-swinton-the-eternal-daughter-joanna-hogg-1235212578/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 1 December 2022. The critic praises the film as a lovely and haunted dream that showcases Tilda Swinton’s chameleon-like performances in dual roles as mother and daughter. Hogg’s casting choice is highlighted as the greatest stroke, with Swinton delivering fine-grained differences in the characters. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/movies/eternal-daughter-review-tilda-swinton.html) ## The Telegraph The review highlights the double Tilda Swinton performance in a supernatural ghost story with a slow-build chill and sustained eerie atmosphere. It calls the film minor but effective in leaving a trail of sadness and creepiness. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/eternal-daughter-review-two-tilda-swintons-price-one-creepy/) ## The Times Rating ★★☆☆☆. 24 November 2023. The critic dismisses the film as a pointless pandemic relic with atrocious dialogue, farcical horror and pointless experimentation in a deserted hotel setting. It finds even Swinton unable to salvage the grim, specious experiment. [Read the review](https://thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-eternal-daughter-review-a-pointless-relic-from-the-pandemic-c5m6hf5qv) ## The Playlist Rating A-. 6 September 2022. Festival review. The critic praises Swinton's effortless dual roles, the film's bewitching feminine Gothic atmosphere and memory themes, noting the final reveal as a gut punch while wishing for a stronger emotional crescendo. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-eternal-daughter-review-tilda-swinton-carries-dual-roles-with-ease-in-joanna-hoggs-atmospheric-drama-venice-20220906/) ## The Skinny — Rory Doherty Rating ★★★★. 7 October 2022. Festival review. Swinton's dual performance as mother and daughter creates deliberate distance and alienation in this continuation of Hogg's Souvenir films. The director adopts the mood of an 80s BBC ghost story, delivering gorgeous visuals and delicate observation, though the slow pace may feel slight to some. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/the-eternal-daughter) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating B. 22 September 2022. Festival review. The critic sees the film as a fascinating personal extension of Hogg's Souvenir series, using ghost-story aesthetics to explore mother-daughter regrets and relationships. Swinton's dual performance and the emotional layering are singled out for praise, though the glacial pace is noted as a drawback. [Read the review](https://collider.com/eternal-daughter-review-tilda-swinton-joanna-hogg/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 7/10. 13 September 2022. Festival review. The critic highlights the spooky Gothic atmosphere and personal exploration of memories as haunting ghosts, commending the dreamy pacing and Swinton's subtle dual performance while acknowledging it may frustrate viewers seeking traditional ghost story action. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1005992/the-eternal-daughter-review-tilda-swinton-haunts-herself-in-joanna-hoggs-eerie-drama-tiff/) ## Film Stories — Lauren Miles 24 November 2023. The critic finds the film visually charming and atmospheric with strong Gothic elements and Swinton's dual performance, but criticizes the glacial pacing and slight narrative that makes it a challenging watch. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-eternal-daughter-review-tilda-swinton-faces-her-familys-past/) ## Paste — Brianna Zigler Rating 7.5. 2 December 2022. The critic is most captivated by the film's gorgeous, classic-Hollywood-inspired atmosphere and technical craft, which evoke a timeless spooky mood. The mother-daughter story is deemed adequate but occasionally overstays its welcome. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/joanna-hogg/the-eternal-daughter-review) ## The Wrap 2 December 2022. Festival review. The critic finds the film a haunting, atmospheric expansion of Hogg’s Souvenir universe into a ghostly meditation on memory, regret, and mother-daughter bonds. Swinton’s dual performance is singled out as the anchoring achievement that makes the meta storytelling and eerie mood work. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-eternal-daughter-film-review-tilda-swinton-plays-mother-and-daughter-in-ghostly-souvenir-sequel/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-eternal-daughter.md