Family Dinner (Tribeca) 2022, Grim Horror
Austrian filmmaker Peter Hengls’ feature film directorial debut Family Dinner, screened its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10th. A dark and tonally subdued horror movie, the storyline takes familiar niceties and twists the idea until it finally breaks.
Simi is 15 and overweight. A quiet girl who comes across as a people pleaser, Simi decides to visit her Aunt Claudia over Easter break. Her aunt is a very well-known author who has published works covering healthy eating and Simi hopes that by spending some time with her, she might finally start a weight loss journey of her own.
It all sounds pretty straightforward. But the Family Dinner movie presents itself straight away as a film with deeper roots. There is nothing overly creepy about any of the circumstances initially. However, writer-director Hengl shows his hand early in the most subtle ways.
Aunt Claudia is thin, and her new husband Stefan is also very thin. What’s more, the fold-out bed Simi is told to make up for her stay has crude swear words scratched into the bed head. At dinner, Aunt Claudia and Stefan tell her they are partaking in Lent, and sip only on glasses of water while her cousin Filipp and herself are served a nice dinner. Despite nothing being completely out of the ordinary, it’s all a bit strange.
How to Detox Your Body
After a short while, Simi finally comes clean about the reason for her visit. Aunt Claudia starts her on her diet and explains just how crucial having the strength to comply with it is. Simi is given nothing to eat. Instead, each night she joins her Aunt and step-uncle in sipping water while her cousin has a hot prepared dinner.
One of the highlights of Family Dinner is the performances. Simi (Nina Katlein) is spectacular in her first role in a feature film. Likable in that her character never seems a gullible party to the bizarreness of her relatives. Relatable in her genuine ability to blend naturally into a horror movie that requires a quiet but gutsy show.
Another thing I really liked was that I don’t think the writing was ever pretending to hide what was under the surface. Family Dinner’s strength lies in the fact you can see it all coming. The clues are all there but all you can do is wish for things to be different.
Family Dinner reminded me of a clash between 2022’s The Feast combined with the atmospheric tension of Goodnight Mommy. An enjoyable trip into often used thematic homages like religion, family, and the extreme combined with the dread of why people do the things they do.
A Family that eats together stays together. Family Dinner gives a whole new meaning to that sentiment and adds an innocuous feeling to the pit of your stomach that will stay there.
The Family Dinner movie is rated
3.5 screaming rabbits out of 5
“Family Dinner” Teaser Movie Trailer
Where to Watch Family Dinner
The film is currently enjoying a film festival romp (Tribeca and Sydney Film Festivals. Distribution details are sure to follow. Keep an eye on Mother of Movies for release information or WTFilms or XYZ Films Facebook pages.
- Director/Screenwriter: Peter Hengl
- Producers: Lola Basara
- The cast of the Family Dinner movie: Pia Hierzegger, Nina Katlein, Michael Pink, Alexander Sladek.
