A Banquet
Directed by Ruth Paxton
A Banquet is an unsettling, thought-provoking and hyper-tense psychological thriller from director Ruth Paxton. Widowed mother, Holly, is pushed to breaking point when her daughter Betsey develops an extreme eating disorder. She claims she has experienced a profound enlightenment where her body is in service to a higher power. Possessed by Betsey’s illness, her family are faced with an agonising dilemma, torn between love and fear, and Holly is forced to confront the boundaries of her own belief. A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE.
A Banquet is an unsettling, thought-provoking and hyper-tense psychological thriller from director Ruth Paxton.
Cast: Sienna Guillory, Jessica Alexander, Lindsay Duncan
Member Reviews
I can see why reviews are divided. Don’t go into this expecting to be scared. I found it to be a dreary exploration of a mother’s perspective with a child suffering mental illness. I liked it but was also left unsatisfied by the ending and plot holes which do understand were left open to interpretation. It’s a shame it’s not a very popular movie because I want someone to discuss it with.
One of those movies that you'll probably only ever watch once, but something about it will probably haunt you forever. It's a thriller, not a horror. Makes you think, to say the least.
Beautiful cinematography . Excellent story about mental illness. Good setting and healthy vibe about food, nutrition and how fragile life can be about raising children and teenagers in general as a single parent.
I generally like slow burns, but it really feels like not much is going on in this movie. It's like the movie is trying to comment on mental health but never quite gets to a point about it. Sometimes ambiguity in an ending can be interesting, but that doesn't really work when the whole movie is ambiguous. I think the movie is worth a watch but be prepared for a very anti-climactic ending.
Unsettling and vivid portrayal of the desperation of a parent terrified at the suffering of a child.