‘The Eternal Daughter’ Review: A Mother-Daughter Ghost Story With A Double Dose Of Swinton

Memories can manifest in a multitude of ways. Whether they inflict sadness or impart joy, memories cling to us like an imperceptible shadow. No one understands this better than Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir, Exhibition). In her latest work, The Eternal Daughter, the filmmaker teams up with Tilda Swinton once again to deliver a haunting gothic horror movie that’s strikingly abstract and utterly mesmerizing.

The film returns to the same haunted corridors and semi-autobiographical world as Hogg’s The Souvenir films. This time around, Hogg explores life, death, and the profound impact of memories against a backdrop of heavy mist and disquieting music. The film serves as a frighteningly realistic portrait of parental relationships and the erosive nature of grief. 

The Eternal Daughter follows filmmaker Julie (Tilda Swinton) – an on-screen avatar for Hogg herself – and her elderly mother Rosalind (also played by Swinton) during their visit to a remote Welsh hotel in celebration of Rosalind’s birthday. 

There’s sentimentality rooted in Julie’s decision to stay at this particular destination – the mansion was once a family home to her mother. Julie is also in the midst of penning her latest project, which centers around her and her mother, and hopes the retreat will unlock her mother’s memories and provide inspiration for her work. 

Hogg quickly sets a foreboding tone – from the hotel’s gothic facade and Julie and Rosalind appearing to be the hotel’s only guests to the spotty reception, eerie clanks of windows, and creaky floorboards. The stripped-down, sparse nature of The Eternal Daughter casts a spotlight on the cast’s performances, which also includes the Shining-esque groundskeeper (Joseph Mydell) and the snarky receptionist (Carly-Sophia Davies). Swinston serves up an emotionally invigorating performance with her portrayal of Julie’s neurotic demeanor, as well as Rosalind’s distressing journey down memory lane. 

The quietness entwined with scenes of normality, like the mother-daughter pair contemplating dinner options or Julie walking her dog on the grounds, is what contributes to the film’s unnerving atmosphere. It’s the simplicity and stillness within these moments that creates an eerie subtext and causes things like loud footsteps to become suddenly jarring. Tension builds throughout the story as Julie glimpses an aging woman’s face looking out a window and struggles to sleep amid the clamor of hammering windows. And it all takes place against the emotional backdrop of Julie and Rosalind attempting to bond and communicate.

At the heart of the film is the exploration of parental relationships and the delicate balance between expectation and reality through a ghostly lens. From the split diopter shots reminiscent of Clayton’s The Innocents to the Giallo-inspired canted angles, The Eternal Daughter is riddled with horror references. With its supernatural setting and enigmatic imagery, The Eternal Daughter doesn’t fall into traditional scary-movie territory, but its themes surrounding loss, grief, and guilt certainly hit a nerve in an unexpected way. 

With undercurrents of The Shining and Northanger Abbey, The Eternal Daughter’s melancholy disposition packs an unsettling punch with a nod to the strength of Hogg’s personal filmmaking.

The Eternal Daughter was viewed at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of A24. 

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