Rapid Review: The Invitation (2015)

“Forgiveness doesn’t have to wait. I’m free to forgive myself and so are you. It’s a beautiful thing. It really is.”
– Pruitt

SYNOPSIS: While attending a dinner party at his former home, a man thinks his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister intentions for their guests. – via IMDB

So I have read quite a few good reviews on The Invitation, and I have been quite looking forward to checking it out. Eventually, the time had come, and I got on it as soon as possible, and I enjoyed every damn second of it. The film features a ton of unlikable characters, except Will, out main peanut we are supposed to identify with and root for, and I really do like him, and I feel awfully sorry for him. He has obviously not gotten over the death of his son, and seeing him back in the family home was something, because you could see the havoc is wreaked with his mind. Aside from that, he is also the most normal person there is at this insane little dinner party, which makes the situations even more bizarre. The air of awkwardness and tension was palpable in The Invitation, so the atmosphere was great, I really liked it. Like my husband said, the movie actually just makes you feel really uncomfortable, so it definitely scores points on that front. Another thing that is funny – in the movie, David locks the door and Will is uncomfortable with it, and my husband and I scoffed. We would be super uncomfortable here having a dinner party with unlocked doors, etc. But this is Africa. Out there it might very well alarm people when doors are locked in the midst of a dinner party, I don’t know. I just have a suspicion that if/when we move out of the country, we are going to look like such crazy people wherever we move to! The movie is shot incredibly well and looks fantastic. Looking at cults is, as always, fascinating, and this movie handled it just right. The guests of this dinner party were not interested in joining a cult, though the hosts certainly kept pushing the point the whole time, and it was constantly hanging around just on the edges. The performances were all solid, too, and I really think that Logan Marshall-Green nailed his role, I really liked him. The score is also super creepy, and gets right under your skin. Complemented the film every step of the way. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed The Invitation and would highly recommend it – this little thriller is a slow burn (but never too slow) that creeps up and packs a punch, and still has you wondering if you really are understanding what is going on at the best of times, is great to look at, and leaves you feeling unsettled. Tense movie!

Here’s a trailer, but I recommend going in blind if possible, and skipping this trailer. Gives away a tad too much, in my opinion.