The Invite

The marriage of Angela (Olivia Wilde) and Joe (Seth Rogen) has been in a rut for a while and is characterized by neurotic bickering. Their eccentric upstairs neighbors Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penélope Cruz) turn out to be particularly active at night, much to Joe's annoyance. Wanneer Angela invites them for a dinner party, Joe sees this as the prime opportunity to confront them. What follows is an evening full of unexpected turns, which none of them will soon forget. A dinner party that completely spirals out of control. That is the premise of The Invite, the new film by director Olivia Wilde (Don't Worry Darling), who also plays one of the lead roles in the film together with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton. The Invite premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was received there as a clever and contemporary take on modern relationships. The Invite is a hilarious but also uncomfortable comedy about love, desire and everything in between. The Invite is based on the Spanish film Sentimental by director Cesc Gay. The film takes place almost entirely in a single apartment and touches on themes such as monogamy versus open relationships, jealousy and desire, and the tension between fantasy and reality. The small setting and the emphasis on dialogue create a restrained yet continuous tension between the characters. Olivia Wilde stated in various interviews that she wanted to make the film because she felt too few films are released in which couples speak honestly about long-term relationships, sex and the difficult conversations surrounding them. After a breakup, the film was moreover a personal project close to Wilde's heart. During the production process, she was inspired by the work of the famous relationship therapist (with Belgian roots!) Esther Perel and originally did not want to act herself and mainly direct: it was Seth Rogen and the rest of the cast who convinced her to ultimately take on the role of Angela as well. Content warning: 12