A Banquet Review: Sleek Psychological Thriller Is Elevated By Strong Cast
A Banquet is masterful in its graceful energy. The film doesn’t overstay its welcome in terms of runtime or grotesque imagery. Director Ruth Paxton (Pulse) and screenwriter Justin Bull (Merge) are totally in sync from the opening scene to the final frame, as is the cast. A Banquet is thoughtfully engineered horror that is expertly shot by cinematographer David Liddell (Skin), who brings fear and dignity to the whole film. A Banquet isn't likely to blow anyone's socks off, but it might make one blow chunks the next time they see a five-star meal.
Betsey (Jessica Alexander) watches as her mother Holly (Sienna Guillory) does everything she can to nurse her ailing father Jason (Richard Keep) back to health, until one day he dies by suicide. She seems to bond with her mother over the tragedy, embracing the role of big sister while still enjoying a social life that Holly doesn’t hinder. One night Betsey tries powdered alcohol and wanders into the woods. When she emerges, something has taken hold of her. Betsey and her sister Isabelle (Ruby Stokes) are slowly realizing the financial problems their mother has been hiding since their father's death. However, the one thing that does not change is their diet. Holly is a magnificent chef who only cooks the most appetizing dishes. The problem is the main side effect of Betsey’s supernatural awakening is even the sight of a single pea makes her throw up.
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After seeing every kind of doctor and eventually force-feeding her own daughter, Holly is forced to reckon with the fact that something no one can explain is happening to Betsey. Holly enlists the help of her own mother, June (Lindsay Duncan), to recant an old
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