The latest film from Olivia Wilde is her finest work yet – a charged, hilarious chamber piece that reverberates with the simmering tension of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and channels the queasy comedy of Abigail’s Party.
Joe, a weary music professor, arrives home one evening to find his highly strung wife Angela has decorated their apartment, laid out a platter of expensive cheeses, and invited their sexy, uninhibited neighbours to supper. This remake of Spanish comedy The People Upstairs treats us to four knockout performances from Wilde, Rogan, Cruz and Norton. They are assisted in no small part by a razor-sharp script from Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the duo behind smart comedy-drama Celeste and Jesse Forever. It also features a vibrant score from Devonté Hynes (aka Blood Orange) that ups the tension, and is handsomely shot on 35mm by The Studio cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra – his nimble camera keenly exploring the shifting energy between the characters. It’s a perfect exercise in probing the insecurities that lie hidden beneath the surface of a seemingly happy relationship.
