Plot- Widowed mother Holly is profoundly tested when her teenage daughter Betsey has a deep revelation and asserts that her body is no longer her own, but in service to a greater force. Bound to her newfound religion, Betsey refuses to eat yet loses no weight. Holly is forced to confront the limits of her own convictions in an excruciating predicament, divided between love and fear.
A Banquet begins with a chilling prelude about terminal sickness and suicide. Holly (Sienna Guillory) makes a special supper for her husband only to walk away towards a blender and return to discover him choking to death on the food in an unsettling, gut-wrenching sequence. Worse, their daughter Betsey (Jessica Alexander) is present to witness the horror.
One year later, despite the fact that everyone in the family, including Betsey’s younger sister Isabelle (Ruby Stokes), is visibly still grieving on the inside, no one in the family, which also includes Betsey’s younger sister Isabelle (Ruby Stokes), talks about the loss, even when certain characters and dynamics become strange, making it feel increasingly necessary to discuss In defense of director Ruth Paxton and screenwriter Justin Bull, perhaps the aim is to remark on how fear and a refusal to have important dialogues and cope cause families to be broken apart, but if so, it’s a badly conveyed message that could as well be nonexistent.
The gist is that Betsey has an awkward encounter with her partying friends that leads to her wandering outside alone and observing a blood-red moon, despite the fact that she is already internally cracking from the pressures of college and deciding what to do with her life, not to mention the trauma described above. Betsey also appears to be affected mentally, believing that the end of the world is approaching and that eating is no longer necessary because her body is dedicated to a greater force.
Betsey refuses to eat a well-prepared home-cooked supper in one particularly gripping scene supported by credible and emotional performances (a combination of rising irritation from Sienna Guillory and subtle madness from Jessica Alexander) (the cinematography from David Liddell zooms in on the preparation and other details such as mouths). Holly, understandably annoyed, begins taking food from Betsey’s plate, but to no avail. This process is repeated until the dish contains only a solitary green pea. Betsey tries to eat it but chokes on it, evoking memories of her father’s death, albeit this time it appears that she is actually unable to keep the food down. No one, however, brings up the past.
As it becomes clear that Betsey is ill, Holly begins to take her to numerous physicians, losing patience and becoming more visibly verbally angry. It might be argued that the screenplay demonstrates how losing one’s cool is difficult for a parent and leads to greater problems in the long term, particularly when it involves an eating disorder. That is, until Betsey hasn’t dropped any weight after a six-month flash-forward.
Holly’s illness and biblical musings about the apocalypse have only become worse throughout that period, and she’s only now considering a mental institution as a last resort. Holly also chooses against it after learning that visitation will be limited and will effectively isolate her from her oldest daughter.
As a result, Holly begins to believe and enable Betsey’s actions, resulting in Isabelle’s neglect. When Holly’s mother (Lindsay Duncan) appears, the film teases some answers to what’s going on, only to leave the audience with more questions. Holly and her mother appear to have had a strained relationship in the past.
There’s also a folklore narrative that may tie into what’s going on, but it’s just there to provide the filmmakers an excuse to throw in a nightmare sequence that, although aesthetically terrifying, doesn’t add to the story or provide depth to the characters. Isabelle is given more to do in the plot, frustrated by the circumstances while still caring for her older sister; Ruby Stokes and Lindsay Duncan proved to be equally as good as the leads.
A Banquet stays still, resting on the laurels of basic symbolism without doing anything interesting or insightful with it. Even while there is an ambient feeling of dread throughout and an eerie quartet of performances, there is a sense that the screenplay and directing never grew past the fundamental notion. For a picture that is grounded in truth, portions of the plot push believability to the point that suspension of disbelief is tough. That’s impossible if your film also has nothing intriguing to say about its numerous important issues.
Is “A Banquet” on Hulu?
“A Banquet” will not launch on Hulu. Best flicks: 227: Complete Series (Sony), My Hero Academia: Complete Season 5.
Is “A Banquet” on Netflix?
“A Banquet” will not debut on Netflix. Best suggestions: The Penteverate, Wild Babies.
Is “A Banquet” on Prime Video?
“A Banquet” will not be available on Prime Video. Greatest selections include Office Space, Road to Perdition.
Is “A Banquet” on HBO Max?
“A Banquet” won’t be released on HBO Max. Best choices: 8 ½, Seven Samurai
Where to watch the movie?
On Friday, May 26, 2022, A Banquet is released Shudder Movie.