The Party

The Party, a dark comedy, is a 2018 British film written and directed by Sally Potter.  It is a small budget art house film that shot entirely in black and white and has a small A list British cast.  Janet, played by Kirsten Scott Thomas, hosts a small gathering in her house to celebrate her new political posting.  The gathering of friends, for a champagne toast, along with her preoccupied husband, all bubble over with news of their own.

The short 70 minute film, is direct and to the point.  At times, the dialogue and wit that graces the script, is eminent of an older British thriller or film noir style movie.  While there weren't many aspects to categorize this film as either thriller or film noir, it'd be better to be considered more of a satirical approach to present day society.  As a modern twist on Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, there are times where the jabs of societal struggles are almost too poignant.

The movie commences with the typical awkward scenes of parties kick starting.  While the cast did not seem to gel as well in the beginning as the latter half of the movie.  Between the wine pours and whining of characters of the plagues of their life, there are a plethora of jabs for all walks of life.  I think the movie was catering more to the 50's generation, as it seemed to be more of their ilk and desires, the stark contrasts of grays, blacks, and whites draw in the viewer despite this.

The angles portrayed and framing of the scenes gave the film much more of the illusion of tight space that I think Potter was trying to achieve.  The mere staging of the camera at many points in the film give far more of an objective view of the stifling tight space that the dialogue and cast of six seem to drum up with projected announcements of recent and past discretion, changes in life, and the unwillingness to progress forward in any real sense of personal growth. 


While, as a viewer, I know that I may not have been the ideal target audience that Potter was looking for generation wise, but I had an overall appreciation for the artistry approach brought through this film.  It was not my favorite recent plot driven or character study movie, but I certainly think Potter has some promising concepts to bring to the table.