It’s simultaneously the best and worst kept secret in history that the universe works in infinitely mysterious ways; when Joanna Hogg, the acclaimed, award-winning filmmaker behind The Souvenir and The Souvenir Part II, was on the cusp of graduating from England’s National Film and Television School in 1986, her graduation piece, Caprice, featured Tilda Swinton in the leading role.
Hogg’s aforementioned pair of films would go on to continue their groundbreaking partnership, and now, the powers that be have once again reunited these two powerhouses for The Eternal Daughter, a deeply beautiful, equally haunting ghost story that’s sure to land the two women in Oscar-favorite territory; a consensus that only seems to get wider with every passing viewing of the film’s new trailer.
Produced by Martin Scorsese and set to be distributed by A24, The Eternal Daughter stars Swinton in a dual role of Julie and Rosalind Hart, a mother and a daughter who return to their old family home together. A now vacant hotel that was once a prestigious manor, the house quickly sees the two women confronting its ghosts, with every storied mystery bearing some earthshattering secrets.
The film premiered in early September at the 79th Venice International Film Festival and will have additional showings at the Toronto International Film Festival and the 60th New York Film Festival. With a 95 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and an overwhelming portion of this praise highlighting Swinton in particular, it will be an ungodly shock if we don’t see her name on the ballot next year.
The Eternal Daughter will release to theaters on Dec. 2.