If the year was a meal now, we would be facing the final course. And for a desert we have An Exquisite Meal (2020), a sharply satirical genre-bending journey through one absurdly terrifying dinner party in modern America, a darkly playful Buñuelian nightmare that’s full of punchlines and twists.
The movie centers on an affluent couple that hosts a dinner party for friends, promising them an amazing meal. As the night goes on, uninvited guests arrive, wine flows, and dinner is strangely delayed. When the party is interrupted by a shocking diversion, one of the guests goes off on his own and discovers something unexpected about what’s being served for dinner. As identities unravel, the host tries to maintain control of his carefully orchestrated evening as the party descends into violence, bizarre sexual escapades, and the absurd.
This is the debut feature film for writer and director Robert Bruce Carter after a few short films, including the awards-winner comedy Off Book (2016). The main cast is formed by Mike Jimerson, Amrita Dhaliwal, Victoria Nugent, Ross Magyar, Bassam Abdelfattah, Emily Marso, and Mark Pracht.
During the last year, the movie has been part of several film festivals including Cinequest Film Festival and Threadbare Mitten Film Festival. Now it has been scheduled for a digital release by Gravitas Ventures on December 28, 2021.
Watch here the trailer for An Exquisite Meal (2020).
