Henry Gamble's Birthday Party (2015)

Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party

• I definitely have some mixed yet strong feelings about his film. The first thing you should know is that there’s not necessarily a direct plot. While I was watching, I was waiting for some kind of big event or a climax, and it never really came (that’s what she said). While the film still follows the typical three act structure, it feels like one big drawn out evening, which is exactly what is depicted. With all that being said, it’s more of a study on certain beliefs and topics in Christianity, and how different people grapple with those decisions. Some of the topics that the story touches on are lust, drinking, adultery, and the main one, homosexuality. Basically every character has their own problems that they have to deal with, and it’s basically just one big narrative of juggling religion and human choices. It was deeply realistic and made me quite uncomfortable at times because of how authentic it felt. No offense to anyone reading this that’s religious, but the film does a great job of showing hypocrisy in religion and how some religious people verbally and physically react to something they don’t agree with. Growing up the way I did (Baptist), and turning out the way I did (massively gay), it hit home way too hard. The overall writing was decent, but nothing exceptional. The performances were all pretty great, and even though they sometimes felt a bit silly, everyone had their own quality that they brought to the whole atmosphere. Also, shoutout to pre-Stranger Things Joe Keery. That’s about all there is to it. It certainly delivers punches when it needs to, but also takes a more relaxed approach and lets you blend into the environment like an observer. Nothing too crazy, but just enough. I would probably recommend it to most drama fans who like religious/secular topics.