THE PARTY

Sally Potter is a British filmmaker who rose to prominence from a background of experimental filmmaking and theatre, she’s a writer, a choreographer and a composer and by extension of that, a director. She’s made a number of films, though the one that really saw her rise to prominence is 1992’s Orlando, loosely based on Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel. A young nobleman of Elizabeth 1st’s court - named Orlando (played by Tilda Swinton) – is commanded by the dying queen on her deathbed: "Do not fade. Do not wither. Do not grow old." So, Orlando obeys his Queen and begins a life journey that lasts 400 years, during which, Orlando transforms into a woman. It’s a smart, intelligent film and reflects the Potter’s sense of humour and fierce intellect. 

Her latest film The Party sees a group of friends arriving at the home of Janet (Kristen Scott Thomas) who’s just been tapped to be the Government’s Shadow Minister of Health. First to arrive is the nihilistic and cynical best friend April (played by Patricia Clarkson), who congratulates her friend while denouncing democracy as ‘finished’. April’s boyfriend Gottfried (Bruno Ganz), is a life coach and healer, something April holds in deep contempt. When more guests arrive, April is not backwards in coming forwards with her caustic opinions on the lives of academic Martha (Cherry Jones) and her pregnant partner Jinny (Emily Mortimer). They themselves are having their own dispute over the pregnancy and other related issues such as how much radical feminism it’s appropriate to espouse nowadays. Another close friend is delayed, her husband Tom (Cillian Murphy) arrives alone. He’s a Banker and a hopeless coke-fiend - so he’s something of a unicorn within the group. The last member of the ensemble is Bill (played by Timothy Spall) who sits, languishing in the centre of the lounge room, drunk and loudly listening to jazz. He ultimately resurrects from his deep funk of introspection to lob several truth bombs at the group, resulting in some serious ramifications. That’s the setup, to say any more would ruin the film, suffice to say Potter gleefully exposes their sense of entitlement and their hypocrisy in a blistering 71-minute running time. Playing in real-time, the film has a heightened and theatrical feel, in fact it could well be a stage play and not lose any of its intensity, though the ability to edit and shoot closeups of performers makes for an interesting experience.