Film Review – The Birthday Party

Co-writer/director Miguel Angel Hernandez adapts a 2007 novel by Panos Karnezis, with “The Birthday Party” exploring a particularly tense day in the life of a shipping magnate trying to retain control over his empire during a time of celebration. It’s a tale loosely inspired by the ways of Aristotle Onassis, but Hernandez doesn’t fixate on the business side of control. He’s more interested in familial troubles coming for a man typically in command of his destiny. The picture gives star Willem Dafoe plenty of room to feel around edges of his character, capturing a special level of paranoia for a very slow-burn endeavor. “The Birthday Party” doesn’t develop into a riveting study of relationships, but the helmer finds a few unions worth examining, adding unusual eroticism and levels of suspicion as the story takes in life-changing turns for people attending an opulent celebration of youth. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com