Pulpmovies Reviews

It’s a tough time for young Gabriel (Austin Labbe). His alcoholic mother is unable to look after him and he finds himself spending Christmas in the care of his grandparents.

In an attempt to cheer him up, his grandfather drops him off at a Christmas party advertised in the local paper.

However, this isn’t your average children’s party, as is immediately apparent from Gabriel’s initial conversation with the hosts of the party - Don (Tom Reid) and Betty (Stephanie Foster) - which leads to the boy being relentlessly questioned, and made to feel very uncomfortable, over the issue of his church attendance.

Throughout the party, the religious agenda of the hosts is both explicit and overt and Gabriel soon finds himself on the receiving end of some high pressure evangelism. Not surprisingly, all of this adds up to a confusing and unnerving experience for a lonely 9 year old who misses his mum.

The Christmas Party is an absorbing and genuinely unnerving film that admirably manages to avoid the easy option of taking cheap shots at exaggerated caricatures and, instead, portrays the characters very realistically and allows them – and their emotions - to develop naturally.

The score is also worth a mention here – noticeable but never quite becoming intrusive, it provides a very effective reflection (often downbeat) of Gabriel’s emotional state.

The characterisation is superb throughout and it’s great to see the acting is completely up to the task of bringing these people to life. As Don and Betty, Tom Reid and Stephanie Foster manage to reflect the precise balance of overt normalcy, frightening intensity and sheer inability to understand that someone wouldn’t understand exactly what they are talking about that makes these types of people so unnerving.

And, in a roundabout way, this brings me to a second theme that runs through the film - that of insincerity. From Gabriel’s mother’s forced cheerfulness and alcohol fuelled protestations of love, to the artificial grin worn by Betty throughout the party, right down to the other kids unenthusiastic singing of hymns disguised as carols, many of the characters come across as doing or saying what they feel is expected rather than risk rocking the boat.

Special mention should go to Austin Labbe who does an excellent job of reflecting the confused mix of emotions – confusion, optimism, disappointment – that Gabriel goes through over the course of the film.

The Christmas Party is an examination of the way adults communicate their religious beliefs to children. But more than this, it is also a thought provoking and disturbing look at the way that religions exploit the lonely and vulnerable in order to sell their message.

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