Not to be confused with Blake Edwards’ slapstick Tatiesque comedy from 1968, this black comedy and social satire comes from director Sally Potter. With films like Orlando and The Tango Lesson to her credit, Potter has long been a favourite on the art house and film festival circuit. But The Party may well be one of her most accessible films to date. This is her first feature in five years. She also co-wrote it with her regular collaborator and story editor Walter Donohue.
The theme of a drawing room dinner party turning nasty has been a staple of theatre for decades (Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? is probably the template for this sort of thing) and The Party is very theatrical in its staging. The action is confined to a couple of rooms in Janet’s house, giving the material a quite claustrophobic feel. Russian cinematographer Aleksei Rodionov (Admiral) shot the film crisply in black-and-white. This gives it the look and feel of those bleak kitchen sink dramas of British cinema from the 50s and 60s.
Flawless performances from the small ensemble cast bring this assemblage of complicated characters to life. Thomas brings a brittle quality to her performance as Janet. Clarkson is at her cynical, bitchy best here.
This is a brisk and vicious social satire that tears strips off middle class pretentions, ambitions and social mores, and it makes for uncomfortable viewing at times. But with a running time of 71 minutes it never outstays its welcome.
Director: Sally Potter
Cast: Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall, Emily Mortimer, Cherry Jones
Release Date: 12 April 2018
Rating: MA15+
Greg King
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David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television