AN EXQUISITE MEAL (2020) Reviews and overview

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‘What the hell is in the oven?’

An Exquisite Meal is a 2020 American “dark comedy arthouse thriller western satire” film based around a Buñuelian dinner party.

Written and directed by Robert Bruce Carter, making his feature directorial debut. Produced by Josh Itzkowitz and Curtis Matzke.

The Objay Dart Films production stars Mike Jimerson, Amrita Dhaliwal, Victoria Nugent, Ross Magyar, Bassam Abdelfattah, Emily Marso and Mark Pracht.

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Blurb:

“A sharply satirical genre-bending journey through one absurdly terrifying dinner party set in modern America, An Exquisite Meal is a darkly playful Buñuelian nightmare that’s full of punchlines and twists.”

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Reviews:

” … name drops Yorgos Lanthimos and Buñuel, so you can see just how lofty its aims are. That said — this captures the feeling of being trapped at a fancy — and perhaps too rich for its own blood — dinner party, so if you’ve been missing that dread since we all live in our houses and eat take out instead of seeing other human beings, perhaps this will scratch that itch.” B&S About Movies

” …there is a lot that it seems that Carter wants to say in his script and unfortunately, he may have given himself too little time in which to do it. Cut into chapters and seemingly written in parts to show the different sides of his cast of characters, Carter highlights the audacious and the absurd side of people who barely know each other. Although in doing so it may reveal the pretentions in the director himself.” Battle Royale with Cheese

“Overall, you’ll experience many strange events and comments throughout the absurdly terrifying dinner party. Mostly, An Exquisite Meal is a deliciously sharp satirical genre-bending journey. And yes, it is constantly full of very interesting observations about the world we’re living in right now.” Heaven of Horror

“The narrative is constantly tripping over itself and consequently much of what we are presented with makes next to no sense at all. The hosts tell us that they have got back from India only to say moments later that they have only just got back from Scotland too. It’s meant to be mickey-taking but instead ends up playing like it’s been badly constructed, the humour just does not hit the mark…” My Bloody Reviews

” …a kind of dinner party version of Waiting For Godot, with all of the Absurdist fixations on purposelessness and deliberate oddness […] and certainly ambitious for a microbudget film, but a little like the characters in the film, the ambition is compromised. Proceed with care, and only if your tolerance runs to this kind of episodic, non-conventional cinema.” Warped Perspective

Release:

An Exquisite Meal premiered at the 2020 Cinequest Film Festival.

In the USA, Gravitas Ventures will release An Exquisite Meal On-Demand (VOD)on December 28th, 2021.

Cast and characters (in credits order):

Mike Jimerson … Dave
Amrita Dhaliwal … Irene
Victoria Nugent … Beth
Ross Magyar … Mark
Bassam Abdelfattah … Edouard
Emily Marso … Annie
Mark Pracht … Paul
Luke Johnson … Delivery Driver
Siddhartha Rajan … Moped Driver

Trailer:

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