THE PARTY

Director
Sally Potter
(ORLANDO, THE MAN WHO CRIED, GINGER & ROSA)

Stars
Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson, Timothy Spall, Bruno Ganz, Cillian Murphy, Cherry Jones and Emily Mortimer

A black and white tragicomedy set entirely inside one house with a running time of just 71 minutes, THE PARTY unwraps its goods in similar fashion to a stage production.

Seated in an armchair with a glass of red and appearing clearly perturbed is Bill (Timothy Spall), an Academic whose wife, Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas), is preparing for the arrival of some friends to celebrate her recent promotion to the position of shadow minister for health for the opposition party. Her guest list includes serial cynic April (Patricia Clarkson), who likes to refer to herself as a realist, along with her German partner, Gottfried (Bruno Ganz), a self-proclaimed spiritual healer who discredits modern medicine. Next arrivals include Martha (Cherry Jones), a Professor for women’s studies and her partner, Ginny (Emily Mortimer), a chef. And finally, a banker named Tom (Cillian Murphy), who has also turned up in a visibly anxious state. As conversation between the group of friends begins, their opposing opinions build tension in the room, which leads to the revelation of several secrets that threatens to destroy each of their friendships.

Group shot from THE PARTY by Sally Potter
Before the melt downs occur, the topics of conversation exchanged between these characters are mostly of a political and philosophical nature. The dialogue and its delivery from the high-calibre cast and the interest given to the potential reasons for the unsettled state of Bill and Tom is what writer & director Sally Potter is relying upon to engage most viewers earlier on. As such, THE PARTY caters to an acquired taste of black comedy. During these stretches and all throughout the film, the frank nature of Patricia Clarkson’s character and her stand-out verbal material and performance will keep viewers who may be feeling on the outside with this film more involved. Thankfully, this film’s narrative does become more accessible for a wider audience once the tragic component of the comedy arrives. The amusement it derives from the anticipation it generates, the reactions from its characters and the studiously written contradictions that come into play do heighten the enjoyment. Despite this higher appeal, THE PARTY does remain an acquired taste by way of its setting, structure, its darker comedic roots, and a final twist in proceedings that isn’t entirely necessary or credible.

This black & white black comedy hosts a similar premise and shares a number of commonalities with the far superior Italian comedy, PERFECT STRANGERS (PERFETTI SCONOSCUITI). Though definitely less broadly appealing and accessible, THE PARTY does just enough to satisfy those it’s intended for.

3 stars

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Viewer Discretion
MA15+ (Strong drug use)