REVIEWS NO-ONE ASKED FOR
by Ashton Brown
THE INVITATION
dir Karyn Kusama
A DRAMATIC THRILLER THAT LEAVES YOU WITH AN ONGOING SENSE OF UNEASE
Quite often I end up with a whole heap of films in my 'to watch list' that I have stumbled across on IMDB at some point and convinced myself that it sounded watchable. Eventually I end up watching, or attempting to watch these films, often asking myself "why did I think this would be good?" and turning it off 35 minutes in. However, occasionally I end up with a rare gem of a film, something that I haven't even heard of prior to watching, that not only exceeds my expectations, but leaves me with a sense of thought provoking fear and intrigue well after the final credits have rolled. Such a film is The Invitation.
The film starts with a couple, Will & Kira, on their way to a dinner party that they seem very reluctant to attend. We very quickly learn that this is a dinner party hosted by Wills ex - Eden and her new beau. What occurs is the worlds most awkward reunion of old friends who are getting together for the first time since Will & Edens son tragically passed away two years earlier. The evening is awkward, the wine flows, doors are locked, accusations are thrown around and grief is clearly a driving force behind a lot, if not all of the anxieties present at the dinner party. Eden and her new man are part of a cult that helps you to deal with grief and set you free. We watch an awkward video of people dying, we partake in an weird spin of the game 'have you ever' and we continue to feel a sense of dread rise in our stomachs as we begin to questions every characters motives, especially those of protagonist.
Director Karyn Kusama (Jennifers Body, Girlfight) has crafted nothing short of a thrilling masterpiece here. Despite being a fairly unknown director who's only credits are nothing to shake a stick at unless what you are trying to shake a stick at is something you hope to kill, I didn't know what to expect from her. The Invitation is a masterfully directed piece of cinema. Part drama, part thriller, all great. An absolutely sensational cast of more or less unknown actors provide a convincing, emotional and at times harrowing journey through friendship, loss and acceptance of the things we cannot change.
Whenever the films feels like it is going to walk the path of the predictable, it turns in a way that leaves a fresh lump in our throats. The films eventual climax is one that is so beautifully paved that although the ending is a suprise, when we finally arrive at the ending, the jigsaw puzzle makes sense and the film achieves a sense of accomplishment that resonates with us as audience members even after the film has ended and the lights are back on.
The musical score provided by Theodore Shapiro who's previous credits are easily the most impressive of nearly everyone involved in the film, is affecting, poignant and foreboding. Whilst never overplayed it leads our emotions and perceptions of the film perfectly down the exact road that the director intends and never gives us a full moment of comfort within 1 hour 40 run time.
Usually when we watch an unheard of thriller we end up feeling disappointed, frustrated and annoyed. Sometimes we stumble across a good script ruined by crap actors or a bad director butchering potentially good performers. The Invitation manages to take the potential for disappointment and craft something much, much more worthy of our time and discussion.
Quite often I end up with a whole heap of films in my 'to watch list' that I have stumbled across on IMDB at some point and convinced myself that it sounded watchable. Eventually I end up watching, or attempting to watch these films, often asking myself "why did I think this would be good?" and turning it off 35 minutes in. However, occasionally I end up with a rare gem of a film, something that I haven't even heard of prior to watching, that not only exceeds my expectations, but leaves me with a sense of thought provoking fear and intrigue well after the final credits have rolled. Such a film is The Invitation.
The film starts with a couple, Will & Kira, on their way to a dinner party that they seem very reluctant to attend. We very quickly learn that this is a dinner party hosted by Wills ex - Eden and her new beau. What occurs is the worlds most awkward reunion of old friends who are getting together for the first time since Will & Edens son tragically passed away two years earlier. The evening is awkward, the wine flows, doors are locked, accusations are thrown around and grief is clearly a driving force behind a lot, if not all of the anxieties present at the dinner party. Eden and her new man are part of a cult that helps you to deal with grief and set you free. We watch an awkward video of people dying, we partake in an weird spin of the game 'have you ever' and we continue to feel a sense of dread rise in our stomachs as we begin to questions every characters motives, especially those of protagonist.
Director Karyn Kusama (Jennifers Body, Girlfight) has crafted nothing short of a thrilling masterpiece here. Despite being a fairly unknown director who's only credits are nothing to shake a stick at unless what you are trying to shake a stick at is something you hope to kill, I didn't know what to expect from her. The Invitation is a masterfully directed piece of cinema. Part drama, part thriller, all great. An absolutely sensational cast of more or less unknown actors provide a convincing, emotional and at times harrowing journey through friendship, loss and acceptance of the things we cannot change.
Whenever the films feels like it is going to walk the path of the predictable, it turns in a way that leaves a fresh lump in our throats. The films eventual climax is one that is so beautifully paved that although the ending is a suprise, when we finally arrive at the ending, the jigsaw puzzle makes sense and the film achieves a sense of accomplishment that resonates with us as audience members even after the film has ended and the lights are back on.
The musical score provided by Theodore Shapiro who's previous credits are easily the most impressive of nearly everyone involved in the film, is affecting, poignant and foreboding. Whilst never overplayed it leads our emotions and perceptions of the film perfectly down the exact road that the director intends and never gives us a full moment of comfort within 1 hour 40 run time.
Usually when we watch an unheard of thriller we end up feeling disappointed, frustrated and annoyed. Sometimes we stumble across a good script ruined by crap actors or a bad director butchering potentially good performers. The Invitation manages to take the potential for disappointment and craft something much, much more worthy of our time and discussion.
4 out of 5.
Don't forget to subscribe if you like what you read here. Or publicly argue with me if you don't.
No comments:
Post a Comment