JACK CLARK, JIM WEIR | AUSTRALIA | 2024 | 113 MIN | ENGLISH
Before their upcoming nuptials, Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) invites bride-to-be Irene (Shabana Azeez) to tag along on a weekend away for his bachelor party. On this outback retreat, Louie and his gang of longtime buddies prepare for some gently debauched merrymaking, even as underlying tensions between them start to surface almost immediately. Co-writers and directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir smartly take their time building the relationships tying together this band of characters, patiently revealing the resentments and hostilities festering below the surface. This makes it all the more impactful when things come to a head in a nerve-rattling, unpredictable second act, in which the revelers’ ketamine-induced shenanigans take on a decidedly sinister edge and shocking secrets come to the fore that could radically alter the way Irene views her future hubby. Skewering Australia’s particular brand of toxic masculinity in a manner that’s both darkly funny and deeply disturbing, Clark and Weir have crafted a nervy, intense, and formally daring new take on psychological horror.
Cast: Mackenzie Fearnley, Shabana Azeez, Ben Hunter
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