THE PREMISE:

"A stranger crashes a party, sparking a comedy of errors, and a reordering of life." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

The Uninvited is a layered drama combined with a satirical sense of humor. Originally planned to be a play prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, Director/Writer Nadia Conners makes her solo feature directorial debut in stride. 

The initial first act of the film showcases the unique  tone which can take a moment to truly soak in as its unexpected. Once The Uninvited allows the audience to understand the tone, it becomes a mesmerizing experience with performances that bloom throughout the picture. 

Elizabeth Reaser’s Rose is a true standout as we witness her potential daily struggle of maintaining faith in herself as a performer, a mother, a wife and a woman in Hollywood. Walton Goggin’s Sammy is a Hollywood agent, neglectful of his marriage yet simultaneously worried of its demise. The narrative has Sammy throwing a party in hopes of rounding up his former clients to move to his new agency with nothing else in mind beyond his career. 

Lois Smith’s Helen is an uninvited guest, an elderly woman who accidentally found her way to Rose and Sammy’s home the night of the party. Clearly lost and confused, Rose brings Helen inside for the night until she is able to secure a contact for her to get home. Helen’s form of confusion and signs of dementia strikes a chord I’m sure for a majority of audience members. It’s a hard character to watch in her stature throughout the night as Rose, and eventually Sammy, takes care of her well-being throughout the party. 

Attending are Hollywood royalty that Sammy wishes to recruit to his new management firm: Delia (Eva De Dominici), Gerald (Rufus Sewell) and Lucian (Pedro Pascal). All involved play a significant role in the night and provide gravitas to a blend of satirical comedy and top shelf drama. 

There’s something so emotionally investing about watching one night transpire with so much at stake in all regards. An agent forging his own Hollywood path with reckless abandon, an actor who had to put her Hollywood passions aside for motherhood initially and then was refused to return due to her age, and an older woman lost in a loop of fantasy and reality. The film can get incredibly depressing at points (I was on the brink of tears near the close), but then it can provide such a lift in spirits to make you almost forget how down you just were.

A remarkable picture with a fascinating pace accompanied by an appropriate jazzy score. From beginning to end, The Uninvited’s broad range of narrative beats combine to make a tremendous feat for Nadia Conners’ debut.