“The point is not the honest relief of suffering but the promulgation of a cult based on death and suffering and subjection.” - Christopher Hitchens
It’s surprising how many stories hinge on the concept of politeness. In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Daniel Craig’s character, Mikael, is captured by the serial killer he’s been searching for all along. And the killer in question doesn’t initially have a weapon but rather he simply invites Mikael into his home for a drink. Knowing full well who this man is and what he’s capable of, Mikael goes inside anyway simply because he doesn’t want to be rude. It would feel out of place if he were to deny the invite and simply walk away. The killer even comments on this once he has Mikael subdued in his murder room. He says to Mikael, “It’s hard to believe that the fear of offending can be stronger than the fear of pain, but you know what? It is.” He goes on to explain that every one of his victims follows in the same fashion, always willingly.
With The Invitation that same idea of avoiding offending someone at the cost of one’s own safety becomes an underlying theme throughout the story. It’s as if nature itself is screaming out for Will and Kira to turn around and save themselves. They hit a coyote on their way to a predictably uncomfortable invite with old friends and Will’s ex-wife who he hasn’t seen in two years since tragedy visited their family. Will, unsure from the beginning, reluctantly accepts his ex-wife’s invite to her home for a friendly get together of old and new friends. He expected a certain amount of unease but what he ultimately walks into begins to signal every instinct he has that something is wrong and he should just grab Kira and leave. But the fear of offending rears its ugly head and keeps Will there for reasons I don’t think even he understands.
It is a play on societal rules we have forced upon ourselves and to break these rules seems to be cause enough for most to be willing to endure social discomfort and potentially even embarrassment to avoid breaking these unwritten directives. It is the single greatest force keeping Will and Kira in a situation they don’t belong in and it’s something that in reality is a farce of delusional political correctness. There are few things to die for sillier than fear of offense over fear of pain.
Will is a man two years removed from a tragedy that changed his life forever. At his side is a recent love, Kira, who knows his pain but wasn’t present when he lost everything. We first meet them as they drive to the home of his former wife who out of nowhere, having disappeared for two years, suddenly invites him, Kira, and a group of their closest family friends for a mysteriously random get together under the guise of reconnection.
From the moment they arrive there is an air of peculiarity and unease that Will can’t exactly explain but the thought of will not leave his mind. After numerous encounters with pains of the past and present, Will is convinced something is very wrong. In a burst of emotion and overall embarrassment, Will explodes and exposes his potentially absurd thoughts to a room of shocked and bewildered friends left in deafening silence at Will’s audacious behavior. Has he made a fool of himself? Has he let his trauma take the best parts of him leaving nothing behind but paranoia and as a result, isolation? If parties have finales, the last hour of their night is about to be biblical.
The Invitation takes patience. It requires an understanding that things must unfold naturally or the climax simply doesn’t stick its landing. And it’s difficult at times to remain calm when the entire premise of this single evening is designed to rattle and keep you off-kilter. It repeatedly shows things that lead you to believe there is absolutely something going on in this expensive but seemingly normal home. Then it turns right around and makes you question everything you thought you knew. Will is lost in a cloud of doubt and shock that leaves his discernment hazy at best, downright unreliable at worst. How can we trust his judgment? Remember, he is our vessel through which we are experiencing this entire night. His haze, his inability to separate the past from present is most likely blurring our own version of this evening. We then begin to feel his paranoia and self doubt as if our own.
This is a slow burn with a massive pay off. It just requires that we remain still, and above all, remain focused. If Will is right, bad things are coming. If he’s wrong he’s embarrassed but he lives through the night. This is a lesson of not repeating his mistakes and knowing the risk of offending someone is low on the list of importance, especially when danger is a potential reality in the immediate future. Keep your head on a swivel, keep your nerve and above all else, trust your instincts. Something as visceral as instincts are ingrained within mankind’s DNA for survival in an unforgiving world. Don’t let the fine china and expensive wine fool you, the world hasn’t become any more forgiving, just a bit more formal as it tries to ruin you.
Unrated - R Rated Equivalent For: language, sexual content/nudity, violence, drug use and thematic elements
Runtime: 100 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror, Mystery
Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Michiel Huisman, Tammy Blanchard, John Carroll Lynch
Directed By: Karyn Kusama
Out of 10
Story: 8.5/ Acting: 9/ Directing: 9.5/ Visuals: 8
OVERALL: 9/10
Buy to Own: Yes. Currently streaming on Peacock and Prime Video.
Check out the trailer below:
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