Drawing comparisons to some of Bunuel's most acclaimed work due to its surrealistic nature, Jan Nemec's A Report on the Party and the Guests is a politically-charged film that's as challenging as it's ultimately rewarding. The film follows a group of well-versed, happy picnickers who are accosted by a strange man, Rudolph. Rudolph has a legion of followers who do whatever he wants, and he attempts to play games with the picnickers, in some strange attempt to indoctrine them into his group. The picnickers are invited to a party, that in itself is completely bizarre and nonsensical to the guests, but the group slowly begins to fit in and and feel wanted. While I am unfamiliar with Czechoslovakian politics of the time, A Report on the Party and The Guests appears to be a seething political satire aimed at the government, commenting on conformity, and one's desire to fit in and feel a part of something, no matter how ridiculous or senseless it may be. Party and the Guests shows how an individual can become absorbed into a group, with many of these guests beginning to slowly rationalize the absurd behavior of the party, convincing themselves that it's normal and for the greater good. At one point, a character has had enough and renounces the party, refusing to lose his free will. The patrons simply view him as lost, sending out a search party to bring him back to the collective. Party and the Guests is a challenging experience that is made manageable thanks to the sadistic character of Rudolph, an engaging and mysterious character that has a great balance between terrifying and whimsical. He alone is worth the price of admission alone, and while I appreciated Nemec's film, I found myself wishing it had been even more surreal and over-the-top.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|