THE INVITE

This is an unconventional dramady of the finest quality, the likes of which we rarely get to see. It's hard to know where to begin - the superb cast, the impeccable script, the remarkable direction and cinematography, or the brilliant set and costume designs. There's hardly a step out of place throughout the entire production. It inevitably begins with the stellar story from Will McCormack and Rashida Jones ('Celeste and Jesse Forever'), which takes a very modern look at two very different couples. Every word spoken by every character is their truth, creating moments of both great beauty and disharmony. It's bitingly honest and flawlessly spitfire, but above all is outrageous and riotous, in a deep in your belly, tears in your eyes way. It's ruthless with its honesty of a couple unhappy in their relationship, so uncomfortable at times it's hard to watch, but so good it's impossible not to. The alternative dynamic, the two couples' interaction together, is equally awkward; you know you're destined for a trainwreck, and you daren't look away for a moment.

That script is brought to life by this perfect ensemble. This film's success is unthinkable without this precise combination of cast; the way they play off each other, the back and forth, the taunting and the love, the raucous laughs, the overlapping dialogue, is only possible with such an expert assemblement. Seth Rogen uses it like poetry, crafting a character familiar but nuanced and unique, oozing with sarcastic and sardonic attitude. Penélope Cruz walks a line between a sexually liberated woman and a shoulder to lean on, with some of the most adorable and hilarious moments of the film when Piña and Hawk break into tiny Spanish conversations. Edward Norton is overflowing with quirk, seemingly impossible to nail down, perhaps until his character reveals what's lying beneath the surface in a phenomenal monologue towards the film's end.

Yet the glue that holds this film together is undoubtedly Olivia Wilde. Both onscreen and off, she's an unstoppable force here. Her character, Angela, is a whirlwind of unstoppable power and emotion, not letting anyone - especially her husband - stand in her way. The simultaneous authority and vulnerability that comes from this performance is groundbreaking. Meanwhile, behind the scenes in the director's chair and working with cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra ('Good Fortune', Apple TV+'s 'The Studio'), she adds to the unease and unusualness of the entire production with extremely creative angles and framing throughout Joe and Angela's apartment, filming around corners or into mirrors to offer symmetrical shots of characters. It's only toward the film's end, where the situation has been straightened out, that conventional cinematography is utilised.

'The Invite' packages the best and worst of human nature in something genuinely, riotously funny - brought to life by some of the most interesting actors working today. See it with a crowd if you can; experiencing it at the Sydney Film Festival, surrounded by an audience completely enjoying themselves, was something else. These two unconventional couples will have you hooked - and by the end, you'll be desperate for your own invite.