Spoiler Alert! The Feast (2021) is a Welsh film about a wealthy family that gathers in their countryside home for a dinner party. It stars Annes Elwy and Nia Roberts. The film was directed by Lee Haven Jones. The film is beautiful visually, even through some of the more disgusting scenes. The cinematography and art design create an alluring and dream-like landscape for the terror to come.
The very slow build of the film creates a lot of anticipation with viewers. We are trying to understand the bizarre things we are being shown and the even more bizarre characters.
What we finally get is a revenge tale. A perfect delivery of “you get what you deserve.” Though some of the pieces are hard to put together, and reality seems to drift farther and farther away, we are still left with a general understanding of the film. The cherry on top is the cyclical nature of the first and last shots of the film. Making it feel like we are watching a story on loop. Reminding us that there is balance and justice in the universe.
The highlight for me is Annes Elwy’s performance. Elwy portrays a hired assistant, who is just as baffled as we are by the strange ways of this rich and isolated family gathering. Though as the film progresses, she starts to make some unpredictable decisions of her own.
The gore of this film is intense. There were many times when I had to look away. But your reaction to that will depend on how well you fare with some of the more violent and graphic themes depicted.
To me, this film feels more like a fever dream than a linear story. Which I don’t mind at all. Everything about it makes you uncomfortable, squirming as you watch the story unfold.
The ending is what lost me a bit. Not in the imagery or plot, but that it all unfolds rather quickly and graphically compared to the slow burn of the rest of the film.
If you can stomach almost anything, then give The Feast (2021) a watch.