Executive produced by Incredibly Strange’s very own Ant Timpson, this twisty Austrian shocker begins as a tension-filled Haneke-esque family drama before delivering full-blown folk horror delight.
Slow and steady, Family Dinner uses every moment to maximise every ounce of tension and thus crafts a compelling and creepy tale of Easter woes.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2022
Family Dinner 2022
Insecure and overweight, 15-year-old Simi travels to her Aunt Claudia’s country house to spend the Easter weekend. Claudia is a well-known nutritionist who has written several best-selling health books and Simi hopes that her aunt can help her with her diet. But the reception is far from warm and Simi finds herself troubled by the creepy family dynamics.
Aunt Claudia, who is working on a secretive new cookbook, puts her on an extreme detox diet and threatens dire consequences for any cheating. Claudia’s new husband Stefan is friendly but makes Simi uncomfortable, while cousin Filipp is an obnoxious and spoiled brat, eating his fill every evening while Simi must starve. Soon enough Simi starts to uncover secrets she may wish had stayed buried as the tension-filled family drama gives way to full-blown folk horror. — Michael McDonnell
“Peter Hengl’s unnerving, dread-filled powder keg of a film is also one of the most impressive genre debuts in years. Hengl takes his time doling out the psychological horror, using precise character work and intense performances to engulf viewers within a fraught maelstrom of body insecurities and emotional manipulation before gut-punching them with one disturbing shock after another.” — Matt Barone, Tribeca Film Festival 2022
Declaration of Interest
The staff and trustees of NZIFF congratulate Incredibly Strange programmer Ant Timpson on his involvement in this film as Executive Producer.