“I don’t want to show life as it plays out,” Honor Swinton Byrne declares in “The Souvenir Part II.” “I want to show life as I imagine it.” Swinton Byrne reprises the character of Julie, a young filmmaker figuring out her artistic vision, in the follow-up to 2019’s “The Souvenir.” Joanna Hogg wrote and directed both films, which are inspired by her own experiences.

“The Souvenir” traced Julie’s toxic, tragic relationship with an older man. “Part II” sees her coming to terms with his death and integrating it into her work. In the spot, Julie makes decisions about camera placements and gives her actors’ feedback while also fielding personal questions about her relationship — it is, after all, the basis of her feature.

The film seems to inspire Julie to look back at her time with her late partner from a new perspective. “I’m struggling to recognize whether I’m missing Anthony as the person he was or whether I’m missing that intimacy,” she admits.

Tilda Swinton, Swinton Byrne’s real-life mother, also reprises her role as Julie’s mom, Rosalind, in “Part II.”

The first “Souvenir” topped Sight & Sound’s 2019 Best of List. It received the World Cinema – Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and won British/Irish Film of the Year and Young British/Irish Performer of the Year (Swinton Byrne) at the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

“Archipelago,” “Exhibition,” and “Unrelated” are among Hogg’s other films. Her next feature, “The Eternal Daughter,” a mother-daughter story also starring Swinton, was acquired by A24 in January.

“The Souvenir Part II” premiered at Cannes in July and is now screening at New York Film Festival. It will play at BFI London Film Fest in October and hit theaters October 29.