Tension and laughs in equal measure at the dinner party nightmares are made of…
People in glass houses shouldn’t show phones in Lee Jae Kyoo’s tense and funny dinner party drama. A remake of the Italian Perfetti Sconoscuiti, Lee’s version feels as fresh as the original which probably says something about the universality of the issues at hand.
Taking place almost entirely at the dinner table, seven old friends meet to enjoy food and conversation when a supposedly fun party game is thrown into the mix. Everyone has to place their phone on the table and share all incoming messages and calls with the other guests for the duration of the party. Unwilling to appear suspicious, they all agree and the blurring of the lines between public and private begins. The pacing of the incoming messages builds the comedy and tension in equal measure as the innocuous and embarrassing give way to increasingly deeper exposures. What works best about this mechanic is that it is cripplingly relatable. Even the most wholesome and upstanding of people have things they’d rather not be shared – irrespective of whether that information reflects badly on them or not.
What is most interesting, as the revelations unfold, is that things are more complicated than indiscretions being revealed. There are also instances where people have under-shared and actually jeopardised relationships because they have failed to reveal something, rather than failed to conceal something. Another interesting concept is suspicion and judgment coming from those who are the least morally sound and perhaps deserve the harshest judgement.
The extent to which this film succeeds in creating such a tangled web is down, in part, to the stellar cast. Not a weak link among them, the friendships and tension are entirely believable. Cho Jin-woong as the outwardly successful plastic surgeon but inwardly fragile husband and father are excellent. His desire to be a family man amid financial and mental difficulties comes across in a very touching way. Yoon Kyung-Ho as the divorced and single friend constantly getting badgered by the roomful of couples is very funny but also brings pathos as his character develops. The scene-stealer, however, is Yoo Hae-jin as Tae-soo. The conflict between his pragmatic, cold side and his loyal, sensitive side is complicated but Yoo manages to present this inner tussle with great success. Tae-soo is also at the heart of the sub-plot which, more than any of the other issues covered, puts what it really means to be a good friend under a microscope. Considering some the character’s actions, he could have been difficult to like were the role not in so competent hands.
The film draws on Gabriel García Márquez’s stipulation that everyone lives three lives: public, private and secret. The balance between these and the toxic effect of imbalance is explored to great effect and yet there is a lightness to the film which prevents it from getting overly bogged down in the complexity of its subject. A great cast make even the most morally suspect of characters intensely watchable. The film also concludes in a very satisfying way, simultaneously answering and asking questions. It is no wonder this premise is getting remade across the globe as it is entertaining, engaging and evidently universal.