The Invitation is easily one of the best, if not the best movie of the year so far and one of the best thrillers in years. Most of the credit is due to Karyn Kusama's careful and increasingly strict direction of the material. Starting with the opening. We open completely silent on Will (Logan Marshall-Greene) driving down a winding mountain road. As the sound slowly returns to the scene, we hear Kira (Emayatzu Corinealdi) telling him that they don't really have to go to the dinner they were invited to. They admitted to themselves that it was strange to be invited considering they hadn't seen their hosts in a couple of years. In one jump, Will hits a coyote and puts it out of its misery. Yet it shows in this superbly composed and claustrophobic shot before Theodore Shapiro's Hitchcockian score suddenly breaks the silence.
The Invitation Plot Synopsis: “After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) takes a DNA test…and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. . Invited by her new family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she is initially seduced by the sexy aristocratic host, but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family's history and the disturbing intentions behind it. of his sinful generosity.
Director: Jessica M. Thompson
Writers: Blair Butler, Jessica M. Thompson
Stars: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen
Once the pair arrive at their destination, Will is immediately shocked. The first part of the movie really plays into an interesting look at pain and really makes you question what Will, and therefore you, are seeing. Since Kusama is presenting the film through Will's lens, when the rest of the group stops seeing what he's doing, you feel frustrated as he does. You support him, but in the back of your mind he nags that maybe Will is letting his pain get to him.
Kusama is extremely patient. She doesn't give too much. She is not theater. Instead, she uses strong imagery to make you feel off center. We have been programmed to expect something explosive from a movie with this premise. We wait for a moment where everything goes to shit. That makes you nervous. Whether it's Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch) carefully hiding in the background of a shot or a door closing, almost every punch Kusama lands makes you cringe because you have no idea what's going to happen. She plays her cards extremely close to her chest until she slams them onto the table and then flips them over. That's how good the revelation of the third act is.
The film itself evolved from an earlier project, Visage(s) d'Afrique, on which Maltese, also known as a portrait photographer specializing in film-related subjects, went to work as cinematographer. An initiative by Luxemburgisch director Pol Cruchten was intended to focus on his friendly bond with Sissako, with the latter functioning as a "marabout" figure (a kind of holy hermit). But when, in 2019, Cruchten died suddenly during pre-production, Maltese, whose fifth documentary feature film this is, took over the reins.
What results is a film made of presences and absences; Cruchten is frequently mentioned in Maltese's poetic and thoughtful narrative, and becomes something of a guiding spirit for the company. Sissako, meanwhile, is always one step ahead of her pursuer, leaving gently encouraging text and voice messages (the latter of which appears somewhat incongruously on-screen, Hollywood-style) promising an impending date. it never happens.
Brian and I watched this movie on purpose without seeing the trailer or reading any plot description other than a sentence. During the movie, it led to a lot of discussion about what we think the endgame is. We were both completely thrown.
In this new revival of horror, it's been established that you don't need to scare after scare to make an effective horror movie. Movies like It Follows, The Babadook and The Witch prove that all you need is an atmosphere that makes you uneasy and makes you feel the anticipation of that big scare or scary image. That's what The Invitation does so effectively. It waits and makes you wonder what kind of movie it is until it finally reveals itself in a beautiful ending. That's what makes it truly one of the best movies of the year.
Watch The Invitation 2022 Movie Trailer
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