A Banquet Review
First premiering at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, A Banquet is a gore-filled horror fest that doesn't shy away from investing in its characters and the creative elements on screen. Directed by Ruth Paxton (her first feature film), the psychodrama follows widowed mother Holly (Sienna Guillory) who is stuck at the crossroads after her daughter, Betsey (Jessica Alexander), finds herself sacrificing her body to a death-obsessed incorporeal being.
The emo teen has found herself haunted by death following her father's passing, however, the movie quickly shakes off the impression of being a sad drama. While Betsey, rocking her chipped nail polish and unconventional look, is at a party, she finds herself summoned towards the woods during a blood moon. This experience leaves her with an out-of-body feeling, and she finds herself battling weird sensations and not able to digest food. Paxton magnifies these heavy emotions through silted interactions and close-ups of food, strange decor, and sensation-processing body parts.
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In an interview with Game Rant, Paxton gave some insight into her inspirations as a director, citing filmmakers such as Ari Aster and Darren Aronofsky, and contemporary artist Ken Currie, but it is her own, personal decisions that led to the creation of a movie as bold as A Banquet. This arthouse flick is driven by women and feelings. It isn't afraid to be warm-hearted, and grounding, and filled with love, instead, it allows itself to be enriched by those qualities. Holly's love for her daughter tricks the viewer into feeling a false sense of security amid the increasingly unnerving situation
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