Imbibe Cinema
A laudatory dialogue led by co-hosts Jonathan C. Legat and Tricia Legat, and joined by producer Michael Noens, as they share their admiration for a wide variety of films. Listeners are encouraged to watch the subject of discussion, grab yourself a delicious libation, and imbibe some great cinema.
This podcast is presented by Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival, a not-for-profit arts organization that assembles character-driven independent film programming constructed by bold and innovative storytellers for the purposes of education, entertainment, and thought-provoking discussion.
Imbibe Cinema
The Invitation
A group of friends at a dinner party and yet somehow everything feels wrong. We dig into why "The Invitation" crawls under our skin: not with jump scares, but with social tension, grief, and a chilling belief system dressed up as healing.
With our guest Matt Lewis, we unpack how the film turns etiquette into a trap, lets ambiguity do the scaring, and demonstrates how deep sorrow can become a terrifying black hole. Pour the “Dangerously Delicious” margarita-meets-cabernet cocktail paired with this episode and press play.
Remember to imbibe responsibly! If you haven't seen "The Invitation," watch the film before you listen to the episode.
Ready to explore more cinematic gems paired with perfect cocktails? Subscribe to the Imbibe Cinema podcast and join us as we celebrate the films that move us, make us laugh, and remind us why storytelling matters.
Looking for more episode content? Read the Episode Recap, including links to episode references and the ingredients for this episode's featured cocktail – now available on our website under Reviews & Articles.
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Featuring Music by Soldier Story: "Bring Down the Money (Freedom)"
Is all the spank in the podcast? Probably not.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. We'll see.
SPEAKER_03:The cutting room floor is a fickle dick. Greetings and or salutations, and welcome to Imbibe Cinema. The Imbibe Cinema podcast is brought to you by the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival, otherwise known as Bwiff. I'm Jonathan C. Leggett, along with my co-host, Trisha Leggett, as well as our producer, Michael Newens. And today we are joined by special guest, Matt Lewis. Who is actually the one who recommended this week's film. In this episode, we are going to be discussing the 2015 psychological horror, The Invitation. The cocktail we are imbibing is called Dangerously Delicious. It is a margarita topped with a Cabernet Sauvignon. I know. The recipe as well as pictures are available on our website, imbibesinema.com. In addition to this podcast, we also offer a variety of short and feature-length independent films that you can enjoy for free. But when you become an Imbibe Cinema member, you can get access to the monthly limited releases. To learn more and begin your membership, visit Imbibesinema.com or download the Imbibe Cinema Mobile app available on the App Store and the Googles of Play. All right, Matt, what was it? Hey, any independent films or films that you would ever want to discuss on a podcast? This was like your first one that you threw out on there. What was it about this film?
SPEAKER_01:So the Netflix algorithm can only get you so far. That's fair. So I used Google as one naturally would. And uh one night I said good thrillers on Netflix. And it took me to uh it might have been Collider.com or something, and I was just scrolling through, and then I saw this movie, and the tag was something like man, you know, returns to uh the home with that he shared with his ex-wife for a dinner party. He just smells something's going on, and yet nothing's going on, and it continues to grow and grow and grow. And then also uh John Carroll Lynch is in this film who's one of my favorite character actors. God, yeah. So it's kind of a one-two punch of okay, I'll try this one out. And it was only an hour and 40 minutes. While I feel like most movies now are closer to three hours. So there was just like, you know, lots of things going for it. And then I sat down and watched it, and I loved every second of it. And because it's an independent movie, when people are like, hey, do you have a good recommendation? As well as you know, most people probably haven't seen it, and the feedback has always been that was a great movie. So that's how it worked.
SPEAKER_03:I I specifically love that you you bring up John Carroll Lynch because I uh I specifically remember watching this with Trisha and her specifically going, Oh god, anytime that gentleman is in a foo movie, it's not going to go well.
SPEAKER_04:Like it's gonna be great and he's gonna be intense, but he's always gonna be a character you were like, oh no.
SPEAKER_01:He's just one of those actors where it's like you know he's gonna do amazing.
SPEAKER_04:I don't know about you guys, but when you see a character actor that you may not know their name off the top of your head, but you're like, oh, I love this person, it you have like this association with them. And my first thought is always like I always feel like this is somebody I can feel for and be terrified of. And that's like my first thought. It's like, oh no, oh, ooh.
SPEAKER_03:Which is again only funny because he played Mac McDonnell in uh The Founder.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah. And not scary. No. And and he played the doting husband in Fargo.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, oh yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_01:And he was Twisty the Clown in American Horror Story. Well, I have nothing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, did not see those yet.
SPEAKER_04:I have a question. Thrillers are are kind of your thing, right? Yes. Just to give us like a frame of reference. Do you have like top two or three off the top of your head that you can think of? You're like, oh, I love this one and this one, or you know, of or this got me into the genre, or like this is one I'll see over and over again. You don't have to have like this is all of my ranking of all time because we know that's everybody's listening to it. And it's in flux, I feel like that's a few. Everybody changes, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I feel like I'm on the letterbox TikTok.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, while we're what are your favorite four right now, right?
SPEAKER_01:Right, right.
SPEAKER_02:Which I have thought about.
SPEAKER_01:Um microphone to your head. I don't like the horror films while there's such a reliance on jump scare. Yeah, sure. I can't do that. Yeah, yeah. If it's I could do creepier, maybe just like you know, kind of get into that real.
SPEAKER_04:Well, because like Hitchcock had the whole thought, and I mean, this works for Jaws as well, right? The idea is we are more scared, like we can scare ourselves more than anything you put on screen. You show the monster right away, we will desensitize and the monster won't be scary. But things like the mist or anything where you don't necessarily see the monster, but it's built up, and then you're scaring yourself long before you get anything else.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's like a mix between what the filmmaker is giving you and what you're doing in your own imagination.
SPEAKER_01:I think that there's so many movies now, regardless whether it's horror or anything, it's so on the nose. It does it, there's there is not much that is left to the imagination, I feel like, in some ways. Like there are so many movies that are, I think have been good, but like it just hammers like the want you to see, as opposed to what you're doing.
SPEAKER_04:Well, and then you've got formula, right? You've got uh there is a certain way that they are done, and even even those that break free from that, they tend to do a nod to the formula.
SPEAKER_01:This was something that we talked about before you hit record. You believe that this film, The Invitation, is a horror film. Yes. I don't believe it to be a horror horror film.
SPEAKER_04:Okay, so what is the difference between and because you're saying that's a good thing?
SPEAKER_01:I will say the third the you know, the third acts slash climax, it does get into that realm.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. So it has a number of tropes.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, it does that are horror. But I don't think of it as a whole as a horror film. Like from beginning to end, it's not a horror film.
SPEAKER_02:More of like a mystery or suspense. At least. Well, because you're trying to figure out what's what's going on, like what why why is everybody so weird? What is this cultural?
SPEAKER_03:Which is why it is noted as a psychological horror. Sure. And it it it's it's a weird, there's so many genres and ways you can take it. Genres of genres.
SPEAKER_04:And the the movie that this reminds me of is uh coherence.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, yeah, which very much so, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:And that movie was very intriguing and suspenseful, and kind of like, well, wait, what's how what is reality, right?
SPEAKER_01:You think coherence is horror?
SPEAKER_04:No.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_04:No, and that's the thing. This is this is where we step away from more.
SPEAKER_01:According to Wikipedia, this film, The Invitation, was only made for a million dollars. And I think that actually even speaks more to the effectiveness. Yeah. That it's it's all about the dialogue, it's all about the these conversations with each other and with the people that have put on the party, you know. So there's Eden and then there's David. Yeah, yeah, Mike. You can tell something's off with them. Yeah, right. And of course, with Eden, like she knows these people, and all of them are like, what is what's going on here? And just like they slowly introduce all these weird things that have brought them peace, but yet it's obvious that it's just very weird.
SPEAKER_04:The tone of the film from beginning to end, the tone and the pacing are so well done. My example, there's a point where he just calls, and we, you know, we're all from his point of view, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_04:He calls out, like, my you know, Troy, where is he? Where is he? And he has this whole confrontation, you know, ready to expose them for whatever scary thing they're up to. And and then Troy shows up, and and in that moment, you're like, okay, wait a minute. Is he the crazy one? Like, they did such a good job of that that you're like, oh, and are we watching the point of view of the person having the the the disconnect with reality? Is this what like because that's one interesting idea if you like totally separate from reality, if you snap that the world seems like a horror movie and really it's quite normal. Yeah, what a so for a moment I'm like, oh no, what movie are we watching? And it really, it really had me like question reality.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, there's a lot of MacGuffins, there's a lot of gotchas, there's a lot of moments where you're like, Oh, I oh, okay, I didn't see that. Yeah. Very, very, very enjoyable.
SPEAKER_04:And even the things that you know are setups, like the Red Lantern. When we make a moment of watching the Red Lantern, I'm like, well, that's important. Uh it has to be, but I don't know what it's like. And then when it the reveal happens, you're like, oh, so well done.
SPEAKER_01:One of my I I actually watched another movie just recently. Uh it's uh called The Assessment. It's with Elizabeth Olson, Elisha of Candor. And uh it again, smaller film, but more than anything, with it talks about the world that they live in so extensively, but you don't see anything. Okay. And what I loved about the imitation, especially at the very end, yeah, it's like, oh, there I what I came in my head is like there's like 10 more movies out there or 10 more stories of like would be low because of the sheer fact that they call out that they are huge in New York and LA.
SPEAKER_03:Exactly.
SPEAKER_02:So it's like it's not even just this everyone. What happened in that house?
SPEAKER_01:What happened in that house? What happened in that house? Yeah. Kind of bring it to that point. And love those things.
SPEAKER_04:And it answers questions that I had in my head the whole movie, and this is one of the things that will get me is I will have these questions that it's like, okay, you put this out there, where does it go? And there are a lot of movies where they like they're throwaways, they have no point. But one of the things that got me was why invite the friends? Like, okay, invite the ex-husband because you've shared this pain together, and he obviously needs to help with his pain. That is something you could you share this this solution you found for this massive amount of grief. I get that. But then the friends.
SPEAKER_01:They wanted to bring the people that they love, their chosen family, into this higher level of existence, I think is ultimately what they were trying to achieve.
SPEAKER_04:But that's that kind of cult thought, this is where I get confused because obviously this is something that they were what's the word, indoctrinated. They were this was something that they went to the like the l the edge of where we all are and went, oh, I'll cross this line. But they, you know, and yes, there are ways of seducing people over there, but these people didn't even get the pitch, really. I mean, briefly, but they never signed up for it. They never said yes.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I there the I have a hot take or theory on that one, and it is the sheer fact that they were also present for when the child died.
SPEAKER_02:Oh. So they're all part of that. Yeah, yeah. So that they're all part of the children.
SPEAKER_03:So that at least in Eden's head, yeah, they're all part of the grief of that. And to for her to uh uh achieve full enlightenment or whatever she needs to take them with her.
SPEAKER_01:Or what resonates with me is that you know, of course, with any cult, they evangelize, and so they want to you know spread their beliefs as much as possible. So that's where my head was going.
SPEAKER_04:Right, and talking it out now. I could go, okay, well, then the friend that said, okay, I'm out.
SPEAKER_01:Clearly. I don't think so.
SPEAKER_02:I wanted to talk that she got out.
SPEAKER_03:I don't think so either. Patricia said the same thing, but I wanted to do it. I wanted to see something, I wanted her body somewhere.
SPEAKER_02:He's like, I just want to talk to her. Just had a question.
SPEAKER_01:She was done. She she didn't drive away. No, not a chance. Uh not with not with Mr. Pruitt on on the scene.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, he did seem a little eager to uh help help everyone along.
SPEAKER_04:Well, and how weird is it that like he can he talks about how his wife died. Right. And then not long thereafter, we have like almost the exact same like incident happen.
SPEAKER_03:I love that MacGuffin. Just the turn of that, how that whole scene plays out. They they did such an amazing job of the suspense and really driving in that moment and the sheer fact that it's like, oh, she's not breathing. And you're like, wait, what? And then all of a sudden she's breathing, and you're like, what the fuck are they talking about?
SPEAKER_04:And then you know because she's the only one who drank. And then when they showed the drink, she was the only one you saw drank. Right. So yeah, no, that was that was really well done. Anyway.
SPEAKER_02:Did you answer the question on the thing? Yeah, no, you didn't.
SPEAKER_03:I don't think she she hit him with those right away and then immediately trishered it out.
SPEAKER_04:Yes. I wanted him to have time.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. I think the reason why I like psychological thrillers so much is that I it's a step down from horror in terms of you know intense core jump scares, but you're still like I mean, you can't wait to see what happens.
SPEAKER_03:Keeps you on the edge, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so that's why I always like try to find thriller. Now, again, Netflix algorithm, they'll call, they'll say something that's a thriller that is like not either one way, either one way or the other.
SPEAKER_03:Like, no, this is this is too tame, and this one, why would you tell me this is just a thriller? I just shit myself.
SPEAKER_01:Right, exactly. So um, so in terms of ones that come to mind, uh I actually watched again not too long ago, Copycat.
SPEAKER_02:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:I mean a 90s thriller to the nth degree in fashion, in technology, and everything in between, but it actually is very, very effective. Um I go to Fincher. So, like the game seven. Oh, very those those are the three that came to mind immediately. I there's plenty of others, I'm sure. I'm sure they're there. I have DVDs of them on my bookshelf that I can't visualize right now. Those are good examples.
SPEAKER_04:Uh one of the things I do like about psychological thrillers is they do get you to question reality where things are off or push to the limit, and it's like, well, how would I behave? Or what would and and then there's always that person where you're like, they're so annoying. Um or and and or what's scary, where you're like, that shouldn't be scary, but it is obviously like dolls, clowns, these things shouldn't be scary. Really overly chipper, happy people. Sadie from the get-go, when you meet her, you kind of like cringe. It's like there's something really wrong with you, and she's just happy to be there.
SPEAKER_03:But the moment you meet her, like she's also like pantsless, isn't she?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's how she kind of shows up. Yeah, there's always someone like that at a party. You really sit down and think about it.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, sure. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And I usually and I usually just do whatever I can to either be in a different room, different floor, in the backyard. Like, I I do what I can to try to avoid those because I that that's just a lot of energy I don't want to have to exert.
SPEAKER_04:The people that step out of line are the ones that die, like you know, oh, you're on the list and you're gonna go first.
SPEAKER_01:But nobody had sex in this.
SPEAKER_04:No, no, but no, it's bad behavior. It's bad.
SPEAKER_01:Social behavior was making out. Oh.
SPEAKER_04:Right. Uh, and then the the girl, the the first to die is the friend that's all like, yeah, I'll take the cocaine.
SPEAKER_01:Gina, yeah. Yeah, Gina's the first one. And makes out with the crazy girl.
SPEAKER_04:Right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:So she's crossing social norms, and then we're like, well, this is the she's first on the chopping block because it's like she's like, I'll take the illegal drugs, and they're like, that one's dead. Um, yeah, and those are typical like standard jobs, right?
SPEAKER_01:Right. So do we do spoilers on this podcast? No, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah, constantly. Um once again, reminder uh please watch the film, drink the cocktail while watching the film, and then listen to us.
SPEAKER_01:So the people that survive, I thought it was very interesting that it's the main character, the girlfriend, and then the gay friend. One of the gay friends. One of the gay friends.
SPEAKER_04:And I have now traumatized on a whole new level.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, Trisha, like specifically, when he like comes to their age, she's like, oh, he's dead. And I'm like, I don't know yet.
SPEAKER_04:No, and this is how I watch the movie at that point. I'm gonna be sewing, and yeah, I will listen.
SPEAKER_01:Tell me when he's dead. Tell me, yeah. Tell me if he's dead, when he's dead. And the the actor there did a really good job, but all I saw was a guy from SVU. Because he he's the um Mike Doyle. Yes, he's the crime scene investigator for like many of the early seasons like that. He has so again, did a really nice job in in his role that he was playing of like trying to keep people back down to earth, right? Yes. I always wondered what led to him surviving.
SPEAKER_04:Well, I mean, the odds that the only people who survive would be uh the couple that came in.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Um, just some something to throw uh throw it off. One of the things that I really love, obviously, is foreshadowing. And I think the coyote in the beginning is so well done. Because first it sets you on edge, right? From the beginning, you're like, oh, and I don't know why. And again, tone, right? It was really uncomfortable. It was really, really heartbreaking. I was really emotionally upset over this coyote, and yet it's a mercy, right? You're putting them out of their misery, and then that's what the whole movie is about.
SPEAKER_03:That's what the whole movie is about.
SPEAKER_04:It's so well done.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:My personal favorite is after watching that scene, I remember the fact that you and I had gone and seen Death of a Unicorn.
SPEAKER_01:Our friend Nick Mir was like all about seeing this movie. I was like, there really was nothing else to see at that time, you know. Because that that's the worst thing about your birthday being in March, is that there's not a lot of good movies in March. I feel like, at least somewhat. In any case, he was all about seeing this movie. I'm like, fine, fine. I get a margarita after this. And uh actually ended up being way better than I thought it was going to be.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Way better.
SPEAKER_03:Run and Ortega were fantastic. Like the movie was enjoyable, entertaining. We laughed. Yep, we laughed a lot.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's got horror.
SPEAKER_04:I have not watched the movie, but I have to say, how did you phrase it? It was much better than you thought it would be, right? I feel like that's like all Paul Rudd movies. Because when you really think about it, no, you think about it, all of his movies, you're like, eh, and then you see it and you're like, oh, it's much better than I thought it was gonna be.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, friendship. Yeah, I really want to see that one. In any case, the horror comedy can be go bad really fast. Can, yes.
SPEAKER_02:I just saw uh the trailer for Anaconda. For Anaconda. Oh I haven't seen it yet. I have completely written off, like even the fact that Jack Black and uh Paul Rudd star in this movie. I was like, I there's no way terrible. It's not 90s. I mean, it's not even 90s trailers.
SPEAKER_03:John Boyd winking after being like regurgitated. Oh, yeah, it was just so stupid.
SPEAKER_02:During the break, you should watch this trailer because maybe we will it is it has converted me. I completely am all in on seeing this movie. Okay.
SPEAKER_04:There are a lot of good movies coming out, though. I'm very excited to talk about it.
SPEAKER_02:2025 is a good year, I do.
SPEAKER_04:It's like we finally got back from the pandemic.
SPEAKER_03:What? I said for movies.
SPEAKER_02:Yes. We're going to take a few moments. I agree.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. We're gonna take a few moments to fill our glasses and get ready to imbuy more after this. The Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival exhibits short and feature-length motion pictures that utilize story elements in a new and exciting way. Our official selections are a carefully assembled blend of imaginative, sophisticated, and full-bodied stories. This is what our name represents. With audiences expect to experience character-driven, independent cinema that is fueled by the filmmaker's passion for the art of visual storytelling. Filmmakers can expect an intimate festival experience where their personal story is valued as much as the one projected on the big screen.
SPEAKER_02:Trisha Leggett. Also with Michael Noens.
SPEAKER_03:And the and credit goes to Matt Lewis. Enjoying this podcast, please subscribe or follow us on your favorite podcast providers to get new episodes as soon as we release them. Rate, and leave us a review to help us reach that larger audience. You can also follow Imbibe Cinema on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
SPEAKER_04:They talk about this movie having actually had a more star-study cast initially like Zachary Pinto and uh Zachary uh Quinto, sorry.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, Pinto's a car. I was thinking Pinto beans. Ooh.
SPEAKER_04:I was yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_01:Speaking of tequila.
SPEAKER_04:Anyways, they were gonna have bigger names and then they changed.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and it's probably for the better because it would have been too many big names, I feel like.
SPEAKER_04:And it's supposed to be right, an intimate movie and regular people, and we talk about it gives them the opportunity to shine.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_04:And the dynamics here. We talk about how this film there the the sense of intimacy is a big part of the film, right? Because grief is very intimate, but also um you have a very small setting. I mean, they're really it's it's it's very tight. Yeah. Yeah. And you have uh these people who've known each other forever, but haven't seen each other in a while. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:It it reminds me of like that time post-college and like the couple years after college where life starts to happen and you you start disting yourself, but like the love stays there when you're together. All you want to do is just relish in those moments because they happen less and less. That was something that really resonated with me in this movie. And like even when they would sit down and the way they would lean on each other, and you know, just all that. Yeah, there you could tell there was just no effort with this group that they all felt completely safe to be who they are, you know.
SPEAKER_02:I do wonder, yeah, if there was if that was something that needed almost like an exercise beforehand, you know, go to this cabin or whatever and just enjoy a weekend and then come back and do this movie. And then that stuff is just kind of natural because you've gotten so comfortable with one another that it's that just becomes second nature.
SPEAKER_03:Or if they rented the house and uh uh had them all stay there together.
SPEAKER_01:You hear the story, it's like I loved being a part of this cast, like you feel that in the movie as well. Yeah, yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_04:So like it's interesting the dynamics of of how the group works.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and just in the couples as well, to your point. Um, like here, she's really kind of like left to her own devices for a lot of the movie. You know, Will is wandering the house, understandably, so putting myself in her shoes, like what a weird experience. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And at the same time, she seems to know every like everybody else other than the ex-wife. Like, like she's able to fit in. She chameleons real well with everybody else and and seems to have uh very easy, nonchalant energy with all of the rest of the players in it.
SPEAKER_04:And there's one scene, it's on the stairs with well and where she talks about how I wanted to give you your space. I don't want you to think I didn't care, I wasn't thinking of you, I was thinking, and how tricky grief is. Because you talk about like when somebody dies, you have that immediate everybody comes in and they're like, We will feed you, we will like do whatever you need us to do, we will help clean out stuff or move stuff, and then after that, everybody just disappears, moves on with their lives, and and it and it's because like they just don't know how to interact, and they and they're afraid there there's that thought of like, oh well, we don't want to bring something up because we if you're you seem to be doing well right now, and I don't want you to like we walk on eggshells because if you're laughing, I don't want to be the reason you're crying. Yeah, and if you're crying, I don't know how to stop you, like or or if I should, you know, and and it's so funny because as a species Oh as like as as people who have grieved like repeatedly throughout like our lives, we still don't know what the fuck to do. Correct, yes, and it's like how is that that we don't know what to do with something that we should know?
SPEAKER_01:Well, and I think the the crux of this whole film is that Will is not he's avoided his grief. Yeah. 100%. And when he goes to this house, which for the record is surprising he does in the first place. Right.
SPEAKER_02:What got him there?
SPEAKER_01:It's an invitation from his ex-wife. He's bringing his current girlfriend. Like, there's just so many things that I like just up front, I'm like, I would never, I would never do it in the win years. Um, and then he comes into the house, and you can tell that at first he's just trying to play it cool. Yeah, you know, he's trying to interact and just you know experience what it is to experience, but then it's just slowly but surely things are really chipping away. He needs to just like walk around, and what I like is that everyone lets him do that. Yeah. And so, in any case, and that's what adds to the paranoia, and that's what everyone goes to to minimize when he's like, something ain't smelling right here, guys.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_04:So and and the the fact that like you get glimpses of what their past is in this house from him over the course of the film, but um, we're not stopping to recreate that moment, we're not having a whole like what exactly happened or how each parent would blame themselves or each other.
SPEAKER_01:Here's the exposition of the whole backstory, every little detail, like so they're gonna be there.
SPEAKER_04:That's not there, and that because I mean it's all the trauma that you could possibly have in life. The worst thing I could possibly imagine is the death of a child. It is terrifying to think of anybody having to go through that. And so the fact that we just kind of dance around it almost, um, and the moments that we do get where we see this this young boy that has passed away are beautifully done. Especially the part where he goes into his bedroom and uh and and just the shift from the past to the present and and what's in his head, the imagination of just I'm gonna be with my son. Um and that to me, you get the pain of that. I think when you we have to explain it all, the pain is lost, I guess. Yeah, and so I think it's so well done. And again, it speaks to the tone of the film.
SPEAKER_01:Well, of course, the other half of this movie is Eden. And you know, she's avoiding her grief ultimately. I feel like I mean, she says that she's a try to work through it, but I feel like she really is ultimately avoiding it, and the way she's avoided it is to just kind of be this she's not happy.
SPEAKER_03:I don't I would say from the beginning she's not happy, so it's a completely depends why she lashes out and slaps that guy when he mouths off like an idiot.
SPEAKER_01:And just has like almost this vacancy almost. So um so she's avoiding as much as as Will is, just in a completely different and ultimately more destructive way. So I think we all have to deal with our grief differently, but we also avoid our grief differently.
SPEAKER_04:Right, and then you're interacting with other people who are grieving, and everybody grieves differently.
SPEAKER_01:And everyone in that house that you know was part of their lives before it happened, they're of course are all affected by it because they witnessed it.
SPEAKER_04:Right.
SPEAKER_01:And I'm sure there was a thankfulness wasn't my kid that happened to a certain point.
SPEAKER_04:Right. Well, and um, and maybe they're the first ones in the group to have, you know, because that's sometimes that's spread out.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Uh and uh when it comes to her, especially you see the flashback where she's just lost so much that she it looks like she's trying to cut her. Yeah, she is, yeah, she is.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, she 100% is, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah, there are people who grieve so violently that like everybody else isn't allowed to because we have to take care of that person. And it's not like they decide to do this. Everybody, you don't know how things are gonna hit you until they do. Yeah. But and that's the only reason I can think of him going to this party is he's used to taking care of her, and then when she disappeared, then it's like we just need to make sure she's okay because then we can move on.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah, because he checks her he checks her wrist.
SPEAKER_04:And he's and he goes in and he looks at the drug like what she takes. Yeah. Wants to see that. And here I think maybe she's never actually left that place. Like she She's perfectly happy to kill herself because this is how she gets back to her kid. She is just waiting. And he does. I think he has a line where he says, every moment after is just we're waiting. We're waiting. We're waiting to be back with our kid.
SPEAKER_01:That's where Will says that to Kira when Kira's trying to be there for him. And it's it's obvious that he's outwardly talking about it really for the first time. And it's ultimately like, I just am waiting for it all to be over. And it's like, how's how does Kira, the girlfriend, process that what do you even say? Right. And I think that she does her best, of course, but it's ultimately like this is a lot of shit to kind of chew on. So I'm gonna just step away for a little bit and let you know, maybe I can come back.
SPEAKER_04:In addition to like the whole mass murder that happens, which in itself is so creepy because for most of the people in the room, this is maybe an uncomfortable dinner party. But who hasn't been to an uncomfortable dinner party? And so when the violence starts to happen, it is so out of the blue, it is so just like numbing at first. It's hard for everybody to take in where we might be as as the audience were prepared for it. But I think it was extra level creepy scary because of how it was just this is just friends, and then all of a sudden we're going to kill them.
SPEAKER_02:Well, and I feel like there are so many moments while watching it, I feel like I personally would have left.
SPEAKER_04:Um but what I think you would have been cleared.
SPEAKER_02:I would have right. But I I mean the reason why I feel like everybody else stays is because of that dynamic. So it's like that's that's kind of what keeps them all from a really expensive wine.
unknown:Right.
SPEAKER_04:Which I also like the play on the wine because it's like we make such a big deal out of this, but then it's very smart of them because you know, well, if everybody's so used to drinking the wine, first of all, it's gonna lower inhibitions. Second of all, anything else we give you to drink, you're just gonna drink because you are fine with the first round.
SPEAKER_01:Would you guys legitimately would you have left at some point? I don't know if I would have. Or maybe not in a visible way. Maybe I just would have snuck out, like maybe when Irish, goodbye.
SPEAKER_02:I guess it's that would have that would have been.
SPEAKER_01:Or just would have like, you know, shook shook hands with Ida and say, hey, I'm sorry, I I got a text for my, you know, my daughter's not feeling well. I gotta go. Like, I that's probably where the way I would. It's okay, Prue's gonna see you out. Right. Um But I have wondered, like, would I have left? I don't know if I would have. I I I would have. I I I'm pretty sure.
SPEAKER_04:What would what would be the first thing that gets you out the door? The cult? Um the video.
SPEAKER_02:The video for sure.
SPEAKER_04:That's another thing that's got me. I get how when you have something, they're like, oh my god, this got me through it. Here, take this, this helped me. And people are like, uh, thank you, but no, thank you. Everybody handles it differently, but that like I have this thing that will help, and I'm trying to pass like that's what I got. I mean, yeah, there's total creepy uh lace around, but I get like, especially with Eden, it seemed like I have something that can help us. Yes, is the kind of feel that I got you. I'm sorry, I know there's something you've got.
SPEAKER_01:Still the love is now that I'm processing a bit more like each of the events. I wonder if I was sitting in a room with somebody that basically admitted to killing their wife, I probab that maybe that would have been the strawberries and camel's back for me. It's like, oh, there's a convicted murderer in this house.
SPEAKER_03:I went to jail. Like, I did my time for this. That like this was an accident, you know, but like I I have moved past this. Like being a convicted murderer is one thing if, like, sure, you did something, you lashed out, and somebody died. It's a different thing if it was a premeditated. Like, if he went, I was waiting for my wife to get home and I had the gun and I killed her. Like, then I'd be like, by Felicia. Like, that's the like, sorry, I we're we're not going to be in the same room together.
SPEAKER_04:This is like but also like here's somebody who's crossed a line, and then you're like, well, if you're comfortable now, because you've crossed it, and then obviously we all think Claire was done in off uh uh for sure, right? Well, we get to choose. I I mean maybe maybe she did just go home.
SPEAKER_03:So we gotta choose your own adventure, and like we just don't know what page she landed on.
SPEAKER_01:Guys, she's dead. She's dead. Let it go. She's dead. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:The other one that still got me, and uh Matt, you and I had kind of discussed this also before we we got there was Sadie. You know, Sadie is the one who you think is the first one to die because she has a similar experience to Pruitt's wife uh and hits her head, and then she ends up chasing both Will and Kira into like a separate room.
SPEAKER_01:And she's nuts. Yeah, crazy.
SPEAKER_04:You know, they aren't uh they aren't psychopaths who take glee out of killing people, these are just regular people that got sold this really creepy thing because they were very vulnerable. Yes, because they were desperate. Yes, and and how like that's the thing about this kind of uh behavior where you can't comprehend how like what how do you believe this? How can you go there and how scary that is, but at the same time, it's like we're all capable on the wrong day, in the wrong like is everybody's capable of going to a place that doesn't make any sense.
SPEAKER_00:Especially in grief, yeah.
SPEAKER_04:Yes, because it is maddening. Grief makes you do all sorts of stuff, so so yeah. But it was a great recommendation, thank you.
SPEAKER_01:It makes my heart happy that you guys enjoyed it so much.
SPEAKER_03:We greatly appreciate all of our listeners for choosing this podcast, supporting Independent Films and the Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival. I'm Jonathan C. Leggett, and thank you for imbibing with us. Cheers. Ooh, that was well, that was a good one. That was sexy.
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