Usually when you get an invite to a dinner party there is a catch; you might have to bring dessert, there may be people you don’t like, or you get stuck with being designated driver. When you’re talking about a dinner party presented in a feature at a genre film festival such as SXSW, things are never so mundane.
Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) are on their way to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife Eden (Tammy Blanchard). The pair becoming estranged after the death of their son. For the past 2 years Eden and her new husband David (Michiel Huisman) have been traveling in Mexico, they return to the home she once shared with her family and invite their own friends round for a reunion dinner to share their newfound peace.
Will, however, has lived a tortured existence and is still having difficulty dealing with the loss. Drinks and conversations flow but Will’s unease is only matched by his host’s surreal calm. He begins to suspect there may be an ulterior motive to the evening but can we trust his perception of what is happening?
The film itself primarily focuses on switching back and forth between the odd dinner party unfolding and the mental state of Will. His return to the family home precipitating a flood of flashbacks, expertly woven into the film’s narrative. He is also reunited with close friends after isolating himself for two years, each offering advice, everyone has their own insight into his problems. This combination is enough to throw most people dealing with emotional issues off balance but is compounded by the unusual behavior of Eden and David, both exuding a surreal calm. Small things play on his mind: no cell phone reception, doors locked, and security bars installed due to an apparent recent home invasion nearby. The claustrophobia and tension bubbles away inside as he veers from emotional wreck to fraught outbursts. The Invitation effectively shifts your perspective between evaluating the danger within the house to that within Will’s tortured mind.
It is revealed that Eden and David, as well as two “friends” they have invited, Sadie (Lindsay Burdge) and Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch), joined a self-help program called “The Invitation”, one which they want to extend to their old friends. A program designed to help its members to alleviate themselves of grief and guilt and move forward in peace. It is a unsettling proposition for many, to be approached with an enlightened ideal or possible fix to a problem that plagues them. The phenomenon of Cultism manifests itself in our every day lives, self-help guides, medication, spiritual advice and religion. What The Invitation explores is shocking a reality in our world and that is the most disturbing aspect of the film.
At a quick glance the cast seem to tick the stereotypical boxes; gay couple, slightly overweight funny friend, etc, but show off a natural rapport solidifying the suggested long term friendship and reasons for their casting. The more offbeat additions to the lineup add to the unease brought by a tight script while others drive home the lingering loss and grief that has disrupted all their lives.*
A slow burn thriller is usually only as good as its finale, that’s when the pieces slot together and the payoff happens. The Invitation not only nails this aspect but elevates itself by making the intense buildup so pivotal to the success of the film. It is a masterclass in crafting tension, from the script to the sound work and also how it was filmed.
The setting is a spacious house in the hills of LA but is shot in a way to instill an understandable paranoia in Will, this is after all the place where so many happy memories were made only to be destroyed by one horrendously bad one. A hazy glow permeates the interior, it feels inviting and safe but the mood is anything but. Will’s occasional forays for solitude providing a blue tinted moment of calm and reflection which deepen the emotional resonance of the bereaved father.
Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Jennifer’s Body) has made a fine return to directing after a 6 year absence. It’s not a game changer for the “dinner party goes awry” genre but is a higher class representation of blending a talented cast and tight script within a well constructed thriller.
The Invitation more than delivers on its ominous scenario. It is superbly constructed and builds tension expertly while weaving in a very emotional tale and hammering you with a gut punch of an ending. Watching is an experience akin to taking a deep breath with a powerful exhalation at the end. One of the best of the festival.
* This article was updated on 3/24/15 to expand on the authors original comments on the casting diversity and playing to stereotypes. The elaborated text aims to clarify my thoughts on this aspect of the film.