Grade (B+)
A methodical thriller that builds great amounts of suspense at the right times.
“THE INVITATION” is an indie-film that made the full rounds across the film-festival circuit and recently received a limited release in the states.
It follows the course of an evening as a man visits his old home, along with his longtime friends, for a dinner invitation given by his ex-wife and her new beau. As the evening progresses this man begins to feel that something is not right about the night they are having, and that the reasons they were invited to the lavish dinner, are not what they seem.
I knew little about this film before watching and after only seeing the trailer it looked like it had the possibility of being a decent thriller. Admittedly the pace for the most part is relatively slow. The location is singular and while there were some lulls, this script created a very claustrophobic story that generates a solid feeling of uneasiness throughout.
The posturing between the characters and the differences in personalities created some intriguing conversations between them, with some tightly written dialogue at times. The posturing between the characters of David and Will was compelling as the cat-and-mouse feel of their dynamic created some tense back-and forth’s. What helped pull this off was the solid performances by the two leads. They both pulled off interesting characters that pull your attention as you wonder if David is really up to something, or if Will is jumping to conclusions.
The dynamics between the characters and their pasts are revealed in well timed doses to fill the viewer in and hold the intrigue high. With such a slow pace the third-act was crucial to this films overall enjoyment and luckily it was a very good one. This story could have went in a range of directions and it was great to see it go in a direction that perfectly paid off the suspense and tension that was built throughout.
The cast overall were very good in their performances. The screenplay was well written and gives this story a unique feel. If you are a fan of mystery, tension and/or suspense, certainly give this film a chance. “The Invitation” may have took longer than needed to complete its path, but it was still a very enjoyable one that shows some solid creativity.
Time: 100 min
MPAA Rating: Not Rated