7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
While attending a dinner party at his former home, a man experiences painful memories and questions the intentions of his ex-wife and her new husband.
Starring: Michiel Huisman, Logan Marshall-Green, John Carroll Lynch, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Tammy BlanchardHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, German, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Director Karyn Kusama made a memorable 2000 debut with the independent feature Girlfight, which she also wrote. Two disappointing projects followed: the 2005 flop, Aeon Flux, which was subjected to major studio tampering; and the underrated 2009 dark comedy, Jennifer's Body. After several years of directing episodic TV, Kusama has returned to form with The Invitation, an independently produced feature that has been variously characterized as a thriller, a social commentary and a horror film. Scripted and co-produced by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, The Invitation has elements of all three, but what distinguishes the film is how deliberately its paranoid atmosphere is rooted in an exploration of character. Kusama has cited such classics of suspense as Rosemary's Baby and Klute as influences, and while The Invitation may work on a smaller, more intimate scale, it gets under your skin just as effectively. After winning acclaim at film festivals worldwide, The Invitation has been picked up by Drafthouse Films as the latest entry in their eclectic library.
The Invitation was shot digitally by Bobby Shore (Fubar: Balls to the Wall) with post-production
completed on a digital intermediate. Kusama and Shore have cast a red-and-yellow glow over all
of the interior scenes inside the hilltop home of Eden and David, which serves as counterpoint to
the increasingly disturbing events at the dinner party. This warm palette also establishes a clear
contrast to the cold blues and grays that dominate Will's recollections of painful past events, as
well as outdoor scenes at dusk and after dark, including the interrupted drive that brings Will and
Kira to their hosts' home.
Drafthouse's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray beautifully renders the alternation and juxtaposition
of the film's two dominant palettes, but the image is surprisingly soft for a digitally acquired
project, appearing at times almost to be filtered. Just to take one example, in many shots, Will's
wild growth of beard (an outward manifestation of his inner disorder) looks less like facial hair
and more like a smear against his face. Video and color noise are often apparent in the
background of the frame, and it's hard to tell whether this results from lighting choices in the
original photography, mastering issues or a combination of the two. Compression-related
mosquito noise appears from time to time, which is surprising on a Drafthouse release, as the
studio typically masters its Blu-rays at high bitrates. In this case, however, they have placed the
100-minute film on a BD-25, of which several gigabytes have been left unused, resulting in an
average bitrate of 19.92 Mbps. While this isn't shockingly low for digitally acquired images, The
Invitation has numerous scenes of multiple characters interacting across the width of the frame.
Better authoring and the more generous bitrate used on most previous Drafthouse releases might
have eliminated some of the noise, while retaining more detail.
Drafthouse has consistently provided lossless audio on its Blu-ray releases in recent years, but in a curious turn, The Invitation's 5.1 soundtrack is offered only in Dolby Digital, albeit at the maximum bitrate of 640 kbps. Despite the lossy encoding, the track provides a solid audio experience, clearly reproducing and positioning the dialogue that is the soundtrack's main component. Key sound effects, which can't be described without spoilers, are rendered forcefully, and the minimalist, violin-heavy score by Theodore Shapiro (The Intern) achieves the desired discombobulating impact.
It's difficult to discuss The Invitation without betraying its secrets—I think the trailer reveals too
much—but it's well worth your time, including repeat viewings to reevaluate every character's
actions once you know the outcome. The film requires patience and close attention, as
Kusama carefully maneuvers her ensemble of characters into positions of increasing insecurity
and peril, using apparently innocuous details to raise questions that turn out to have deadly
answers. The closing shot is a stunner. Recommended, despite a less than ideal audio/video
presentation.
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