The Birthday Party (Histoires de la Nuit) (FFFUK)

<div><b>Screening as part of the&nbsp;</b><font color="#0000ee"><b><u><a href="https://www.filmhouse.org.uk/french-film-festival-uk">French Film Festival UK 2026</a></u></b></font><b>.</b></div><div><br></div><div>A portrait of a family whose troubled past suddenly comes back to haunt them over the course of a long night. Thomas (Bastien Bouillon), Nora (Hafsia Herzi) and their teenage daughter Ida (Tawba El Gharchi) live on remote marshland. Social contact is limited, as they only have one neighbour, Cristina, an Italian painter (Monica Bellucci). As the two households plan a surprise birthday party for Nora, strange disturbances begin to occur, and unease rolls over the marsh.</div><div><br></div><div>In this claustrophobic setting, the director progressively ramps up the tension, tension that made Laurent Mauvignier’s book so successful when it was published. But in and amongst this tension are also moments of brief reprieve, like the scenes with Cristina and her attacker where they are listening to music and discussing art in the middle of a hostage situation. The leader of the malevolent group is Franck, played by Benoît Magimel with an impressive mix of softness and chilling authority.</div><div><br></div><div><div><i>"A birthday celebration turns into hell on Earth in this tensely crafted thriller"</i> - IndieWire</div></div>ThrillerPT1H54MN/C 18FRfr
Hafsia Herzi
Bastien Bouillon
Benoît Magimel
Monica Bellucci
Tawba El Gharchi
Léa Mysius
Marie-Ange Luciani
Jean-Louis Livi
The Birthday Party (Histoires de la Nuit) (FFFUK)"The Birthday Party (Histoires de la Nuit) (FFFUK)"

Showtimes

December 3, 5:45 pm

Filmhouse