A Banquet

I thought about this movie for a few days after I watched it and I came to one solid conclusion, "What was the point?". The acting was good, and the movie was intriguing and intense, but not in the ways that make for good cinema. The audience has to come away with a sense of satisfaction that their hour and a half wasn't wasted and I'm sorry, but I just can't say that about this movie. It's tiring, it requires a lot of patience and the pay off just isn't there. I get what they were trying to do but...no. It's just not happening with this movie.

If you are patient and can stand long periods of tedious camera shots where nothing happens, then this movie is for you. Everyone else will be bored to tears or worse, they'll end up asking, "What was the point?" like i did. I think that is the worst thing that can be said about any movie.

To the reviewers scoring this movie really high; Stop it.

It seems like there are a lot of disingenuous ratings for this movie ( take a look at their one movie review histories), probably by friends and family who think that scoring a movie high is doing these actors a favor. It isn't. It's deceiving people into thinking that this film is good when it is not.

A Powerful Dark Dark Film . Brilliant acting. Film about a subject so close to fiction as to reality very well mixed when drama meets the horror that gets a young girl and her family. I love it. I really did love this British Horror film.

There are many psychological drama- horror movies which try to be multi-layered and ambiguous. Most of them fail. "A Banquet" succeeds.

It doesn't matter what is your interpretation, either way, this movie is still interesting at least.

This is not a horror film, there are no jump scares, gore, noone try to kills anyone. If you are looking for mindless fun, stay away.

This is a sad and depressing movie and you won't enjoy this. It's a dive into the madness or sadness, like a nightmare about the end of the world.

But there is still love and hope, unconditional love.

If you are under 25 years old, it will be difficult to understand what this is about. Same if you are not a parent. Difficult, not impossible though. This movie requires a level of emotional maturity.

Every actor here is amazing. If you are in the mood for an art drama mystery movie that will drain you emotionally, watch it. If not, don't.

After witnessing the death of her father, a young woman has a mysterious experience which leads her to believe that she is intended for a higher purpose.

Deliberately paced and slow burning, Ruth Paxton and Justin Bull's film manages to portray the existential horror without (too much) reliance on gross out or trope-ish apocalyptic imagery.

The slow burn unravelling of proceedings is sustained by smartly controlled filmmaking and excellent performances, particularly the double leads of Sienna Guillory and the extraordinary Jessica Alexander.

It's final scene feels a tad familiar but doesn't lessen the strength of what's gone before.

Well worth a look for admirers of films like Violation, Censor and Saint Maud or Von Triers mid period films, particularly Dogville and Melancholia.

Greetings again from the darkness. For her first feature film, director Ruth Paxton tackles an ambitious story from writer Justin Bull. It's not an easy film to describe to someone who hasn't seen it, and it's even a bit of a challenge to have a discussion with anyone who has seen it. I'm not even sure whether to agree with the "horror" label, or if "psychological drama" is more accurate. It's all this uncertainty that keeps us watching the film, while also contributing to the dissatisfaction we feel at its conclusion.

Sienna Guillory stars as Holly, mother of two teenage daughters and caregiver to her very sick husband. The opening sequence shows the grizzly death that leaves Holly a widowed single mother. Betsey (Jessica Alexander) is fast-approaching college age and has a close relationship with her mother, while younger daughter Izzy (Ruby Stokes) is a developing ice skater who lives somewhat in the shadow of her big sister. This suburban family is rocked again when Betsey experiences an unexplained phenomenon under a blood moon after she drifts from the high school party she's attending.

Betsey's bizarre behavior goes far beyond the oddities we expect from teenagers. First of all, she refuses to eat. Not just vegetables, but anything. This goes on for weeks, and the most baffling part to mother Holly and the doctors (and viewers) is that Betsey doesn't lose weight. Despite multiple weigh-ins per day and zero food intake, she maintains a normal appearance. Betsey proclaims, "I'm not anorexic", and in our first clue, speaks of an impending cataclysmic event.

"It's coming" and "Not much longer" are the strange and vague predictions Betsey utters. All the while, Holly is doing what she can to help her daughter. Holly's mother June (Lindsay Duncan) arrives to offer advice and guidance, while Izzy is mostly left to her own devices as all attention is paid to mom's "special" daughter. The interaction between these four female characters crossing three generations is quite intriguing for us to watch unfold.

How do you fix something (or someone) when you don't know what the problem is? It's a frightening premise, and when it involves a teenager, it can glide into the horror realm. However, the film is overloaded with elements and possibilities: eating disorders, possession, exorcism, teenage body image, spiritual awakening, and even supernatural or alien presence. The film is so ambitious and always seems on the brink of entering the realm of excellence, yet it seems to fizzle at each crucial moment. When there is a break in the parent/child bond, the love and support of the parent is crucial, even if the ailment is a mystery.