ALL MY FRIENDS HATE ME (2022) 

We’ve all experienced it: The excitement of making plans with friends, followed by a flurry of regret when the time comes to put said plans into action. You find yourself cursing the moment you chose to leave the safety and solitude of your own home. I mean…what the hell were you thinking, anyway? Fear not, fellow social anxiety-sufferers and agoraphobics: All My Friends Hate Me might be proof you weren’t being over dramatic, after all.

 

Masterfully directed by Andrew Gaynord, the film tells the story of Pete (Tom Stourton), a bumbling but likable protagonist, as he heads to the English countryside to celebrate his birthday with a reunion of college chums. Things start to go awry with a series of awkward and uncomfortable interactions, and the addition of a mysterious barfly named Harry (Dustin Demri-Burns) who follows the group home from a pub only adds to Pete’s uneasiness. The film takes a delightfully twisted turn for the terrifying when the birthday boy starts to believe that his oldest and dearest friends may actually be up to no good.

Intense, clever, and just the right amount of cringe; All My Friends Hate Me is your worst case of social anxiety cranked up to 100. 90 minutes of well-paced tension builds up to a conclusion that is both satisfying and unexpected. In a proverbial sea of mediocre indie movies, All My Friends Hate Me is proof that low budget doesn’t need to mean low quality… and it’s one party you definitely won’t want to miss.