“I’ve never really been good at metaphors” says a drug-addled talent agent in The Uninvited, a comedy drama that takes a satirically sideways glance at ageing in modern-day Los Angeles. Written and directed by Nadia Conners, the plot centres around once-acclaimed stage actor Rose (Elisabeth Reaser) who has somewhat reluctantly fallen into a homemaker in the hills lifestyle since becoming a mother. While preparing to host a glamourous party with her husband Sammy (Walton Goggins) in order to impress their peers, an elderly woman named Helen (Lois Smith) arrives unannounced and claims that their house is in fact her own.
Audiences would be forgiven for thinking that Conners’ script is adapted from a stage play as there is an intimate theatricality to its neat one-location narrative. Shot with a softly lit sheen, the camera swirls around the affluent couple’s property in a way in which illustrates the evolving dynamic of the party-goers as the story progresses. There are several smart monologues peppered throughout, particular in the final act; these acutely reinforce the film’s themes of legacy, image, and motherhood within contemporary society. Helen’s presence has an interesting sense of magic realism to it, and her relationship with the protagonist plays like a Woody Allen-esque take on last year’s body-horror hit The Substance.
Though it is not an autobiographical piece, Conners’ writes her main character with the experience she herself has within the industry, and in being married to Goggins’ off-screen – his enjoyably chaotic persona here is of course far removed from his reality. Due to this, Rose has an authenticity that Reaser demonstrates in her level-headed performance, cutting through the hollow showbiz chatter she is surrounded by. More far-fetched, albeit deliberately so, are some supporting players; Rufus Sewell as coked-up client, Eva De Dominici as the next big thing, and Pedro Pascal as an old flame, they each represent facets of Rose’s past as she reckons with her present.
A sharp and witty commentary on middle-aged discontent within the confines of the Hollywood hills, Nadia Conners’ impressive feature debut The Uninvited is a dark comedy of errors you shouldn’t forget to RSVP to.
THE UNINVITED will be available on demand from 11th June (theuninvited.movie)
Cinema Perspective 