imperfection is perfection
Sporadic film reviews by a wanna-be filmmaker
THE PARTY [2017]
Directed and Written by Sally Potter
Starring: Timothy Spall , Kristin Scott Thomas, Cillian Murphy, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones
Drawing on a familiar theme, The Party benefits from its efficient run-time of barely 70 minutes to deliver a quick, solid punch of social satire, as the basic premise is that the host of the party has just become a minister for Health, and she has decided to throw a party for it. It is of course obvious that the situation will unravel in some type of chaos, but the nature of how it unfolds is a striking and hilarious stab at how intellectual, upper-class white folk can disagree and agree on the most bizarre of subjects. The dialogue is also scathing where necessary, containing some fabulous lines delivered in that dry, British way (“Darling, you are a first class lesbian, but a second class thinker”).
As with any good film without a unique plot, especially one that is set in one or two rooms for the most part, this film is all about character. We are spoiled with not only a flawless cast, but with the contrasts between each personality. Everyone is excellent, but Timothy Spall is the most memorable as the charmisa oozes from him- or rather, a lack of it. The way his depressed, semi-catatonic drinking character finds humour in the darkest of situations is subtle but very funny, and this is given an extra layer by the fact that Bill’s sly comments are most definitely set within the aforementioned bizarre world of upper-white-class problems. What he says doesn’t seem like much of a slight, but the reactions of the other guests is spot-on.
The host, Janet (Kristin Scott-Thomas) is perfect as Bill’s wife, putting everything into her character, who certainly goes through a whirlwind of emotions during the 70 minutes, as does everyone attending if we’re being honest here. But a revelation halfway through the film changes the tone dramatically (yet it still manages to be funny), and Scott-Thomas effortlessly changes gears, only for more complications to arise- we see a vast array of her skill. Her theatre roots shine through in this very intimate film, a lot of close-ups centering on her face.
Bill and Janet’s guests feature Margret’s close friend April, a very assertive Patricia Clarkson, and her hilarious partner Gottfried, a comically-timed perfect role by Bruno Ganz. Gottfried is a life coach with extensive knowledge in Eastern medicine. How far this knowledge reaches is a recurring joke- but not enough to be intrusive or to get old, as variations on the theme are used. Western medicine is akin to voodoo he posits. Gottfried is involved in some of the best scenes as his absurdly laid-back, possible LSD-influenced attitude to life is an incredibly inappropriate response to what his happening in the second act.
Other close friends invited are Martha and Jinny, a lesbian couple who are expecting. This is grounds for more humour exploring uncomfortable social themes, as there a few lines that dig deeper than they first seem about the complications of their lifestyle. The minor squabbling that arises out of nowhere between the couple is great and again smacks of ‘white people problems’.
The only unwelcome guest is Tom (an as always excellent Cillian Murphy), a banker. Perhaps it is cliche – but there is certainly a logic behind it, as this is what bankers do – Tom’s first pit stop is the bathroom to cut up a couple of lines for immediate ingestion. We also see here the first real alarm bell of the movie, as he has a gun hidden under his expensive suit and is quite obviously nervous.
The film has numerous twists but none seem forced, they all seem to be part a of natural unfolding of events in an increasingly surreal yet satirically dead-on film. The black and white colour scheme could be interpreted in a few ways, but the best feature about it is the alien feeling it gives to a film that feels increasingly so as it swiftly moves by. The direction is brilliant, as all parties are in the same room when it is needed; at other times three groups may be separated as we wonder if the crisis is being unheard or simply ignored.
Perhaps the most welcome aspect of this flick is the way it doesn’t treat its audience like a pack of moronic sheep, as so many comedies do today, specifically
the immature garbage that is excreted from Hollywood on an alarmingly regular basis. Like a lot of British comedy, it somewhat assumes that you have a brain in your head. If you know nothing about politics, if you know nothing about Western vs Eastern medicine and spiritualism, a lot of this film will fly over your head. Not that you need a PhD to enjoy the film, far from it; it is simply refreshing to see a different attitude to comedy, not unlike Captain Fantastic. No surprise then that you’d class this as an an ‘indie ‘festival film’.
A full sixer.
6/6
13 Comments on “THE PARTY [2017]”
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imperfection is perfection 
wow, that good, huh? Comedy is so subjective, not everyone agrees on what is funny, but I’m intrigued by your praise, and I enjoy British comedy!
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Subjective indeed. This is very British, very dry. Spall and Scott-Thomas are so good. Apart from the familiar house-party turns awry plot, it is so unique as a comedy
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Great review Jordan, I’ll be honest I saw this at the Brisbane International Film Festival earlier this year and did not care it. Didn’t like the characters and did it find that clever. Perhaps it went over my head, I appreciated you pointing out what you felt were the strong points of the film. It must be said, my wife enjoyed it.:-)
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Fair enough! Humour is a crazy thing, what can make someone literally hurt from laughter can make a similar minded person roll their eyes. I’m glad your missus enjoyed it! =]
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Thanks Jordan, didn’t it get a Golden Globe nod this morning too?
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I have no idea, I’ve never cared about or followed awards. TBH I don’t really get it or understand why they exist at all, just seems like a popularity contest for the most part. ‘
But if it did win an award it bloody deserved it I think. Its a fantastic movie and manages to feel unique despite such a familiar plot. Its not ‘clever’ I think, but it is above what most comedies are these days. Nothing crude, yknow? Kinda like Cap Fantastic, that was really unique as a comedy too and never sunk to crude levels
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I love awards shows for what they are but I wouldn’t argue with your idea that they’re just popularity contests. They’re effectively industry awards. Funny. Have to see Captain Fantastic.
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Excellent review mate. I recently got my hands on this and it sounds like something I’d really enjoy. And now that you mention Captain Fantastic, I’m all in.
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I mention Cap Fantastic cos its a comedy that isn’t crude. They are completely different otherwise, but both kinda assume that you have half a brain. More so with Cap Fantastic, but the comedy here often comes from heated discussions about politics and Eastern medicine etc. I know its snobby but I like that the film sorta assumes what it does.
You must tell me what you think mate, watch it now! Doo iitttt!
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I definitely appreciate a comedy that treats you with respect. Politics and eastern medicines are of interest to me anyway so I reckon I’ll like this one.
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I thought it was fantastic, obviously. The dialogue is just so well done, and Spall is just amazing. He is so underrated. He was amazing in Denial as well
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I haven’t seen Denial yet but Spall is always solid. I like the idea of The Party, though. I love dialogue driven chamber pieces. It allows the actors to really show their stuff as well. And I love the very underrated Patricia Clarkson.
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Patricia Clarkson is great in this!! Everyone is, I reckon you’ll have fun with it mate.
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