The Party's Just Beginning

Chastising small town Scottish life to indifferent yet surly pubsters more interested in their drink than this open mic looney, Liusaidh delivers her trash talk with poetic vigour before stumbling out for her nightly shag and take away.

As Liusaidh, (Lucy or Loosey) Karen Gillan owns the screen, as she trudges through her insufferable existence, something her best friend decided against a year's past. Her nightly drink/shag/fries concludes with a stagger over the train bridge favoured by local jumpers, and visions of her dear departed, departing. This unsettling tragedy of events soon becomes mundane with repetition, as is everything in the unfortunate ville of Inverness.

Staring into deep dead space from the local deli counter, under harsh fluorescents and a tight hairnet, she encounters a new bloke interested in more than just processed meats, and we are off. "The Party's Just Beginning" doesn't follow the paint by numbers movie canvass, instead delivering a choppy story in jumpy time slices, with equal doses of edgy humour and dark pathos. Attention must be paid.

Although there are glimmers of hope, the film, like it's perpetually grey, dead end town, has trouble finding a rainbow among the clouds, and that may be the point.

This one, for better or worse, or both, stays with you.

This movie is not for everyone. It is about those of us who are outsiders that often feel so dead on the inside we give up on life or seek self destructive behavior to feel alive or human, whether that be through drugs, sex, abusive relationships, risking one's life, intentional infliction of pain, or whatever else makes us feel alive for a moment, or a combination of all of the above, and the devastation it can leave behind. As someone that deals with depression and addiction to self-destructive behavioral patterns, I can tell you this movie was dead on in capturing what it truly feels like, and the impact it has on us and those around us.

For those that don't have such feelings, or know people plagued with them, I am not sure if they will get it. For those of us that do, it is hard not to view this movie as a masterpiece. It was not judgmental, overacted, or built on false assumptions. Rather, it was a brilliant showing of understanding and awareness for those of us that do not often feel understood or valued.

You will not feel good or happy leaving this movie. In fact, it was so realistic and on point it brought me straight to my dark place. However, for a change, I did not feel alone in my blackness, but felt like I was with friends that understood and wanted me to make better choices in life. For that I am grateful this important movie was made.

Absolutely exceptional. And again, I thank all of those involved for taking this so seriously.

I have no idea why IMDB has this movie listed as a comedy. It is a dark movie about depression, emptiness and suicide.

It's certainly not a comedy, even coming from NE Scotland. It's really engaging!! It's not obvious where the story is leading or how it should turn out.

Karen is amazing and her cast is very well chosen. Think of it as more real life... not cliche'd... Eastenders (over dramatised).

Enjoy it!!!

Ps i love the fact the reviews are honest for once!

Stuck in a dead-end job and unable to cope with the recent loss of her best friend, a dissolute young woman's life spirals further out of control as she engages in various self-destructive behaviors while trying to suppress her grief and recall a much happier time in her life. Though it's not quite as compelling as it could be, this is still an interesting blend of poignant drama and character study that tackles important themes like anger, loneliness, bigotry, acceptance, and serves as an excellent showcase for Gillan (set in her hometown of Inverness, Scotland) in one of her most memorable outings to date as writer, director, and lead actress, with a haunting performance that conveys various emotional stages through her eyes, facial expressions, and body language. **½

Very good for a first time effort and was nice to see bits of home on screen (that walk home would be mental though). It's a bit scattered and Karen may have over reached a bit as there are a few too many different issues thrown in BUT shows promise for the future.