This has been a busy year for Tilda Swinton. Starring George Miller's fantasy film Three Thousand Years Of Longing, out on Aug. 26, she'll also be present in two other important releases rumored to premiere later in the year: The Eternal Daughter and Asteroid City, the latter of which will mark her fifth collaboration with director Wes Anderson.
One of the most active figures in Hollywood, Swinton likes to take part in mainstream releases and alternative, independent projects, which was the case in the deeply experimental and intimate Memoria, released in 2021.
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) - 3.8/5
Jim Jarmusch's highly stylish vampire movie stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as an ancient blood-drinking couple. While their love has endured several centuries, eternal life strikes them as rather boring and meaningless in the modern world, and the two embark on a search for excitement.
In contrast to her depressed lover, Tilda's character is high-spirited and yearning for life experiences; she's open to new environments and likes to travel around the world. In a way, the two lovers complete each other and put their vampire condition in place; they expose themselves only when necessary, but also seek entertainment on the little things as a form to feel slightly alive.
Orlando (1992) - 3.8/5
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Simply put, Orlando is a spectacle. Offering breathtaking set designs and exuberant costumes, as well as solemn cinematography that matches the tone of each character's expressions and style, the movie offers Tilda Swinton as a vital piece to the board, playing both a male and female role compressed into one.
She is Orlando, a young nobleman struggling with his love for poetry and the difficulties of finding his place in the world. Added to that, there's Queen Elizabeth's unusual request for him to never grow old. Tilda Swinton is the life of the movie, walking around with profligate pieces of clothing and a stately look on her face, she enchants anyone with Orlando's charm and wit.
We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) - 3.8/5
Possibly the darkest movie in Swinton's career, We Need To Talk About Kevin is an in-depth look into the role of the mother, offering a controversial discussion on how influential is maternity to a problematic child's behavior. Right from the start, it's implied that Eva, Swinton's character, is suffering the consequences of a horrific act orchestrated by her son, Kevin, and the story alternates between past and present to understand the motivations of each character.
Contrasting a constantly gloomy atmosphere with vibrant tones of red, a color that can mean many things, especially in We Need To Talk About Kevin, viewers watch a troubled Kevin grow through the eyes of Eva, who always knew there was something wrong with him. As the film sets up for a terrifying third act, it's left to viewers to interpret the layers of symbolism and psychological themes addressed in Eva's relationship with Kevin.
Isle of Dogs (2018) - 3.9/5
Wes Anderson's cutest animated film Isle of Dogs counts on incredible voice actors such as Great Gerwig, Bryan Cranston, and of course, Tilda Swinton as the mysterious "Oracle", a dog believed capable of seeing into the future while in fact she simply understands what's going on in TV.
Isle of Dogs takes place in a distant future, where a canine flu caused every local dog to be banished to an island overwhelmed by garbage dump. That's where the movie's 12-year-old hero sets out to, on a strange odyssey to find his beloved pet. Typical of Wes Anderson's style, the story is anything but conventional, and the boy must encounter a series of strange characters to get to his objective.
The Souvenir: Part II (2021) - 3.9/5
The Souvenir's director Joanna Hogg and Tilda Swinton are long-term friends, thus it's no surprise the renowned actress agreed to make part of Hogg's semi-autobiographical period film playing the protagonist's mother. Divided into two movies, the first part of The Souvenir follows a young filmmaker, Julie, entangled in an intense, yet emotionally fraught relationship with an older man.
Similar to the first film, The Souvenir: Part II is a movie that looks purposefully old-fashioned but changes in tone completely. Much more focused on addressing the completion of Julie's graduation film, the nuanced character uses reality to understand fiction and vice-versa, as she deals with the heartbreaking aftermath of her tumultuous relationship.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) - 3.9/5
Tilda Swinton returns as the Ancient One in Avengers: Endgame for one of the most important moments of the plan against Thanos, as Bruce Banner desperately tries to convince her to hand him the Time stone. Initially reluctant, she gives in upon learning about Doctor Strange's decision to give the stone away to Thanos, revealing how his sacrifice was leading up to that very moment between Banner and her.
Endgame follows the Avengers in a final attempt to restore peace in their universe once and for all, regardless of the sacrifices they might have to make along the way. As past and present intersect, each hero must face challenges that go beyond the notion of space and time.
Uncut Gems (2019) - 3.9/5
Few people know about Tilda Swinton's cameo in Uncut Gems, but she has voice appearances as a Celtics staff member and as an auction house manager. Other than that, Adam Sandler is actually the soul of the movie, surprisingly comfortable in a performance different from any role he's ever played.
Uncut Gems delivers one of the best ending scenes of any thriller movie, built up through a series of chaotic events in the life of Howard, a charismatic yet unreliable jeweler. In an anxiety-inducing narrative where everything seems to go wrong, he sets out on an odyssey across New York as he tries to put his life together while trying to evade dangerous henchmen sent to collect money from him.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - 4.0/5
Famous for his extravagant color palettes and depicting the weirdest situations in a style as engaging as it is awkward, Wes Anderson introduced his funniest set of characters in Moonrise Kingdom. Turning 10 this year, the film holds up well as a vibrant ode to childish rebellion and the juvenile yearning for adventure.
Contrasting a high-spirited cast of child actors with the serious world of grown-ups, Moonrise Kingdom plays with the child that every adult keep within themselves. Tilda Swinton represents alone the impersonal Social Services sector and pretty much the government as a whole. Always a big contrast to everyone else in the room as she walks in her exuberant blue coat uniform, she tries her best to spoil all the fun with a tiring, bureaucratic talk.
Adaptation (2002) - 4.0/5
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What should be Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Susan Orleans' best-selling book The Orchid Thief ends up being an adaptation of his real-life frustrations and existential crises. Taking advantage of his creative block, Kaufman delivers one of the most delightful self-aware films ever made.
In Adaptation's frolicsome narrative, Nicolas Cage plays an anxious, love-lorn version of Kaufman and Meryl Streep plays Susan Orleans. As fiction takes over reality and vice-versa, the story escalates into a chaotic feast of over-the-top twists, irony, and scraps of ideas; one of the best examples of how Charlie Kaufman is a master of putting the unthinkable into paper without ever missing the point.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - 4.2/5
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Wes Anderson's most critically acclaimed project revolves around the charismatic yet highly unpredictable Monsieur Gustave M., the concierge of the fabulous Grand Budapest Hotel, who gets entangled in the conspiracy of a precious Renaissance painting and the wave of unforeseeable events that shook Europe in the first half of the 20th century.
Tilda Swinton's long-lasting partnership with Wes Anderson provided fans with one of her funniest appearances in The Grand Budapest Hotel. With an elaborate makeup work, she turns into the 84-year-old Madame D., a fancy dowager whom Gustave has seduced and engaged in a nearly two-decade affair.