Staying with the family during the holidays is a common situation mined by storytellers in all mediums. There’s something extra stressful about spending time with loved ones over a calendar mandated time to be together that is fertile ground for good stories. This is exactly the scenario that writer and director Peter Hengl has harvested for his feature debut, Family Dinner. Set in the lead up to Easter Sunday, the story places young Simi (Nina Katlein) in the home of her Auntie Claudia (Pia Hierzegger). The two haven’t seen each other for a number of years and that distance manifests as awkwardness between the pair. Add to that, Claudia’s demanding son (Alexander Sladek) and provocative boyfriend Stefan (Michael Pink), and all the right ingredients for holiday horror are present.
The saying goes that you can’t pick your family and it’s evident that Simi and Claudia are very different women. Simi is kind-hearted, quiet, and considerate, whereas Claudia is abrasive, short, and strict, keeping her wayward son Filipp on tight leash. Simi is determined to win her mean aunt over though and her opportunity comes when she asks for help losing weight. Claudia has made her name as a famous dietician and Simi is hoping for some of her aunt’s guidance. However, Claudia has an extreme way of getting results and this revelation is the first in many steps towards the dramatic climax. The juxtaposition of dieting and Easter festivities throws an intriguing spanner into the works. Religious holidays are usually seen as a time of togetherness and feast, but here the abundance of food takes on a tortuous quality that helps underscore Simi’s plight.
Family Dinner charts the weeklong story from Simi’s arrival on Monday to its manic conclusion on Easter Sunday. With a full seven days to tell the story, Hengl takes plenty of time building up tension, atmosphere, and intent. From their first encounter, there’s an immediate strain between niece and auntie, the course of the story stretching, twisting, and manipulating these first feelings, taking them to some dark and uncomfortable places. Gaslighting, persuasion, coercion, and manipulation are the key tools of Hengl’s trade; Simi’s aunt, cousin, and new uncle, each utilise all of these techniques to keep Simi in a perpetual state of guilt and confusion. Though apparent, these mind games start subtly, Hengl is keen to make the most of the time he has to play with. The director does such a great job at drawing things out that Family Dinner feels far longer than its short length, but for once, it’s not in a bad way. Family Dinner never drags, instead, it immerses the viewer so seamlessly that it feels as though they too are staying the week at Aunt Claudias.
In a similar way to the behaviour of Claudia and company being clear from early on, Family Dinner houses a familiar story but manages to skirt any feelings of fatigue. There are elements of mystery littered throughout, and even though some will have a good idea of just where the plot is headed, Simi is a great character to take the journey with. Nina Katelin gives a compelling performance as the overtly polite young woman and witnessing her metamorphosis is a delight to watch unfold. Hengl also adds some unexpected flourishes and switch-ups, so it’s not entirely a worn and repeated entry into the sub-genre of holidays Hell. A true believer in the mantra ‘less is more’, Family Dinner uses its familiar construction as a framework for plenty of devilishly devised instances of invasive intensity.
Family Dinner
Summary
Slow and steady, Family Dinner uses every moment to maximise every ounce of tension and thus crafts a compelling and creepy tale of Easter woes.
Family Dinner was reviewed at Tribeca 2022.
