[HorrorScience] The Invitation (2015)

Reading time: 8 minutes

Qualification

The Invitation

Year

2015

Duration

100 minutes

Director

Karyn Kusama

Distribution

Logan Marshall-Green, Michelle Krusiec, Aiden Lovekamp, Mike Doyle, Jordi Vilasuso, Marieh Delfino, Jay Larson, Tammy Blanchard, Emayatzy Corinealdy, Michiel Huisman, Lindsay Burdge, John Carroll Lynch, Toby Huss, Danielle Camastra, Trish Gates

Script

Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi

At HorrorScience we are having a string of good films of the genre. It is a coincidence, clearly, since we generally analyze films that we have seen recently, and they do not always get good marks, so it seems that we are on a good streak. The Invitation will not be the exception, since like the previous two that I have reviewed here recently, It Follows and Southbound, stands out in certain aspects that make it different from what is usual and that is what makes it worthy of the final rating that I have given it.

Beyond the number, which is always indicative and a mere quantitative expression to define how much we liked or disliked something, we must always remember that the assessment is given by certain experiences when viewing the film, and by the editor's own knowledge and taste. In addition, it can also vary according to what we take into account to give a good or bad score. Does this sound like an excuse or justification? Nothing could be further from the truth. It is just a clarification for those who expect to see in the genre a copy paste of the same films of the genre, and when it goes out of the way they get bored. Clearly, if you are one of these people, you can stop reading right here as you will get bored.

If, on the other hand, you are one of the explorers of different experiences within the horror and fantasy genre cinema, I could say that you are in luck like us, since in addition to those I mentioned above, you should see The Invitation also, in silence and with attention to the scenes.

The film begins with Will and his new girlfriend Kira driving to the party of Eden, Will's ex-wife, who will celebrate her union with her new husband, David, at his home in the Hollywood Hills.

How does Will go with his girlfriend to his ex-wife's house for a dinner to celebrate her union with someone else? It would be an awkward situation to show up at your ex's house, who already married someone else, and take your new girlfriend there. And just as it would be uncomfortable in real life, it is also uncomfortable for the protagonist of this film, who decides to go anyway because he has received an invitation from Eden herself, and because he wants to see how she is and what has happened to her after having disappeared for two years and now appearing married and happy, as if no misfortune had happened.

And what is this misfortune I am referring to? Well, when Will and Eden were married, they had a son and their life was happy until one day the child died due to an accident. Apparently they have not been able to handle this loss well at all, and at a certain point it all ended. Will was devastated, and even now, driving to this party, he is emotionally affected. We could sense that she is also curious to know about Eden, since some time after losing her son Eden disappeared not only from Will's life but also from that of all his friends and acquaintances, and now there she is again, living in the same house that was previously home to Will and their common son, but now married to another guy, and she even has new friends. What happened during those two years? How come he now comes back and has sent invitations to himself and those people who were important in “his past life”?

Getting back to the scene, Will and Kira are driving to this dinner party and at one point a coyote crosses the road, ending up being run over. Will gets out of the vehicle, and sees the poor animal dying while losing blood. Kira sees it too, and Will tells her to get back in the car. He takes a tool from the trunk of the car, the one used to remove the wheel nuts, and delivers several blows to the animal, then leaving the coyote dead on some rocks on the side of the road.

When you arrive at the house, most of the guests are already there. Everyone is cheerful (except Will), and introductions are made among the few who don't know each other, such as a new friend of Eden, and Will's new girlfriend to the others. Eden is radiant and happy, something opposite to Will who is affected by the death of his son and by the memories that come back to him, visiting this place and seeing these people. Images of a past that still seems very close and painful.

The anecdote of the coyote being run over is almost the first thing that comes up as a topic of conversation, and among the guests it provokes comments of various kinds, from those who affirm that killing it was the right thing to do, a great act of mercy, to those who are horrified that Will would have killed an animal like that. There is also no shortage of curious people who want to know how and with what he killed him after running over him.

As the night goes by and the conversations touch on different topics, as happens in any meeting between several people, Will will appear distant, pensive, and simply paranoid., since he begins to suspect everyone and everything. What exactly do you suspect? Nothing in particular, but he seems to observe every detail of what happens, and with a grim expression he will analyze the entire set of situations that are happening, the words that are said, the things that are done and those that are not done. He will spy on other people when they think they are not seen, he will sneak into the rooms of the house searching, searching... what is he looking for?

He behaves like a madman more than once, but we can't blame him, he has really become unbalanced after the loss of his son, and this situation that brings him back to the past does nothing but worsen his condition, generating moments of great tension for him, his girlfriend, the other guests and the hosts as well.

The Invitation It is one of those films that have the quality of generate concern in the viewer, and whose tension increases until it reaches the point that culminates in the outcome. Its images have a good sense of aesthetics, the performances are correct and the director and scriptwriters have known how to tell a story that does not bring us anything new in the genre but nevertheless feels as if it did. It is the way of telling the story and the thoroughness in its details which stands out in this film, recommended for patient viewers who enjoy stories of slow but constant cooking to the boiling point.

Some curiosities:

The director and screenwriters had full freedom in the creative aspect of the film, since it was produced independently without the intervention of major studios.
In May 2012 it was announced that this film would feature Zachary Quinto (Sylar in the series Heroes, and Spock in the new movies Star Trek) and Luke Wilson (Idiocracy) among others. Finally, none of these actors were in the final version of the film.
The premiere of The Invitation It was presented at a film festival in Austin, Texas, independently on March 13, 2015. Shortly after, Drafthouse Films acquired the distribution rights, and on October 9 of the same year, it was presented at the London Film Festival. It was not until April 8 of this year, 2016, that it was presented "massively" in what is called "limited release", which means that it is presented only in certain movie theaters, and is also available on video on-demand services through cable TV operators and streaming services.