The Birthday Party

Coming Soon USA August 14

Histoires de la nuit

2026

Léa Mysius

Hafsia Herzi, Benoît Magimel, Bastien Bouillon, Monica Bellucci ...

Drama. Thriller. Mystery

Drama. Thriller. Mystery

Thomas, Nora and their teenage daughter Ida live on remote marshland. Social contact is limited, as they only have one neighbour, Cristina, an Italian painter. As the two households plan a surprise birthday party for Nora, strange disturbances begin to occur and unease rolls over the marsh.

	Media	Author	Review
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"This could be better paced but the crisis which descends on an up-against-it dairy farm is delivered by some very memorable goons (...) the tension is capably managed and Magimel is a gargoyle of menace (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"
		David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter	"A pileup of movie-ish improbabilities in the climactic act notwithsanding, the new film is a taut nail-biter (...) This is one case in which some smart retooling of the wobbly third act could yield a viable property."
		Beatrice Loayza Variety	"The slick familiarity of the scenario will make it easy winnings for genre-oriented distributors. It’s a serviceable thriller, in some regards, but Mysius and her cast promise far more than that"
		Ryan Lattanzio IndieWire	"A birthday celebration turns into hell on Earth in this tensely crafted thriller where the production values elevate conventional material."
		Nikki Baughan Screendaily	"Hafsia Herzi and Monica Bellucci head conventional home invasion thriller (...) Lacks the dramatic spark and heady atmosphere of Mysius’s previous films"
		Fabien Lemercier Cineuropa	"Léa Mysius directs a sharp, tense and stripped back thriller telling a dark, modern tale about family and the return of the murky past in a nigh-on huis clos context"
		Pete Hammond Deadline	"'The Birthday Party' (...) doesn’t appear to have a whole lot on its mind other than just trying to entertain in a genre guaranteed to make you uncomfortable. Don’t watch this at home."
		Zachary Lee The Wrap	"Mysius and her team are too talented, too adroitly adept at merging the universal emotions of their characters with the cultural specificity of this story, to deliver anything less than compelling"

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