Tonight, I finished viewing 2015’s The Invitation directed by Karyn Kusama, and wow, what a gut punch of a film.
It’s a drama/thriller/horror film about a group of lifelong friends being invited to a dinner with something unusual just beneath the surface.
The Invitation deals heavily with themes of trauma, PTSD, and loss. If you’re sensitive to these issues, maybe give it a pass, but if you’re into deep tissue emotional stuff, give this one a go.
The tension in this one is palpable. Is this guy paranoid? What’s actually going on here? Might be time for a rewatch.
You really feel for the characters in this film, particularly the lead. The real horror is the struggle and loneliness of PTSD dealing with inconsolable loss. Men particularly as they’re often unable to garner the emotional support needed to carry on in the face overwhelming tragedy. Logan Marshall-Green does an incredible job here conveying this to the audience.