The Party is a 2023 American teen drama film directed by Kevin Van Stevenson and written by Ryan McCoy, adapted from Tom Leveen's 2010 young adult novel Party. It stars Sara Catherine Bellamy, Michelle Redman, Savannah Meaike, Lyndon Hoffman-Lew, Kennedy Porter and Kyle Simsek. The film screened at the Pasadena International Film Festival in May 2023, where Stevenson won Best Director (Feature) and Bellamy won Best Actress (Feature).
Plot On the Friday night before Christmas, a group of teenagers in a Southern California beach town prepare for a large party. Beckett Montgomery is struggling with grief after her mother's death and has become increasingly isolated from her former friends. She attends the party while considering suicide, hoping the night will help her decide whether to go through with it. Max, who has had a crush on Beckett for several years, also goes to the party intending to finally speak to her. Beckett's closest friend, Azize, a Turkish immigrant who works at his family's falafel shop, attends as well.
Elsewhere, Morrigan sneaks out after being grounded, determined to drink and move on with her recent breakup with Josh, whose commitment to sobriety and celibacy contributed to the end of their relationship. Josh reluctantly attends with his friends, while football player Anthony continues to struggle with the death of his older brother in Afghanistan. As the party progresses, the teenagers' relationships begin to unravel. Morrigan becomes heavily intoxicated, while Anthony racially abuses and violently attacks Azize after projecting his anger about his brother's death onto him. Realizing the seriousness of what he did, Anthony calls the police and is later arrested.
Beckett reconnects with Ashley, a former friend who had not known that Beckett's mother had died by suicide. Ashley apologizes for assuming that Beckett had simply withdrawn from their friendship for no reason, and the two reconcile. Beckett also learns that Max remembers her from school and has cared about her for years. After the violence at the party, Beckett remains with the injured Azize and exchanges numbers with Max. By the end of the night, the connections she has re-established with the people around her lead her to abandon her plan to end her life.
Cast
Sara Catherine Bellamy as Beckett Michelle Redman as Morrigan Savannah Meaike as Ashley Lyndon Hoffman-Lew as Josh Alex Lecca as Max Ebin Antony as Azize Carter Skyers as Anthony Ashford J. Thomas as Mike Kennedy Porter as Tommy Kyle Simsek as Daniel
Production The Party was adapted by Ryan McCoy from Tom Leveen's 2010 young adult novel Party. Director Kevin Van Stevenson said McCoy approached him with the screenplay, whose ensemble structure centred on eight main teenage characters. The film was originally titled Butterflies..., referring to the characters' feelings of anxiety and uncertainty as they navigate high school.
Principal photography took place over ten days in Port Hueneme, California, during the winter before Christmas. Stevenson said the production used a DJI Ronin 2 gimbal with Master Wheels to allow the crew to move quickly between locations, including for an opening shot filmed from a moving vehicle. Casting was conducted online after nearly 1,000 actors were considered, as in-person auditions were not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Post-production lasted approximately a year and a half and included revisions to the score, sound, design, audio and color correction.
Release The Party screened at the Pasadena International Film Festival on May 5, 2023. The film was later distributed by DeskPop Entertainment and became available digitally through platforms including Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel and Tubi.
Reception Reviewing the film under its original title Butterflies... in 2021, Bradley Gibson of Film Threat gave it 7 out of 10. He praised Stevenson's use of music and the film's visual style and performances despite its limited budget. Gibson also viewed the characters' direct addresses to the camera as an effective way of handling exposition within the large ensemble, although he noted that the film's themes might resonate more strongly with contemporary younger audiences.
In a later review of The Party, Michael Talbot-Haynes of Film Threat gave the film 6.5 out of 10. He praised the decision to change the novel's graduation setting to Christmas, but criticized the use of direct-to-camera inner monologues, arguing that they disrupted the film's focus. Michael Knox-Smith of Mike's Film Talk gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, praising its treatment of its teenage characters and the cast's performances, while singling out Bellamy's handling of the fourth-wall sequences.
Accolades YearAwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef2023Idyllwild International Festival of CinemaSound Design, FeatureThe Party Juan Ruiz Anchia Award for Cinematography, FeatureEnsemble Cast, Feature FilmCast of The PartyActor, Feature FilmLyndon Hoffman-LewPasadena International Film FestivalBest Feature FilmThe PartyBest Director (Feature)Kevin StevensonBest Actress (Feature)Sara Catherine BellamyMichelle RedmanSavannah MeaikeBest Actor (Feature)Lyndon Hoffman-LewEbin AntonyCarter Skyers
References
External links
The Party at DeskPop Entertainment