An Invitation to THE INVITATION: Pages 61–65

In episode 10, Jim Penola contrasts the differences between Will's (Logan Marshall-Green) interactions with Sadie (Lindsay Burdge) and Tommy (Mike Doyle). These memorable exchanges bring Will's only trusted instinct to the foreground: survival. | Original Score by John Penola | Additional Audio Production by Brandon Sheer | Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation | Email us: Invitation2Invitation@gmail.com | <3

Transcript

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“ An Invitation to THE INVITATION ”

EPISODE #10. (of 15) – The Damage and The Power [pgs 61 through 65]

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LINK TO SCRIPT:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B49bAscvFVQ6TTNfOERFSUgwbms/view

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 HELLO,

Friends and listeners.

Because this podcast has become a sort of audio diary which, as you probably know,

Was started before COVID-19, I have felt required & compelled to address the Earth-shaking world events that have shockingly occurred during its creation. It would be tonedeaf and willfully ignorant not to.

In that spirit, more seismic shifts have begun on top of Coronavirus in the time between the previous episode and this one… 

Protests both in the US and around the world that were triggered (but not singularly motivated by) George Floyd’s murder have erupted. The unrest (to put it kindly) is a cumulative reaction to centuries of racism in America (to put it simply). I am an explicit supporter of the #BlackLivesMatter and its mission and I hope you are, too.

I’m personally planning on putting in the work to become a worthwhile and lifetime ally to the Black community. That will require a lot of self-education, frequency over intensity of support, personal over performative investment, and frankly… making a lot of mistakes along the way. I’m white as fuck and I have a lot to learn.

It is a privilege to get to learn about racism all my life instead of experiencing it all my life.

Not unlike COVID, I’m sure the protests and their results will factor directly and indirectly into the podcast going forward. Thanks for listening and let’s begin.

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“ An Invitation to THE INVITATION ” – INTRO / Guiding Quote.

“I am the one that runs from both the living and the dead. Hunted by scavengers, haunted by those I could not protect. So I exist in this wasteland, reduced to one instinct: survive.”

–MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

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Welcome to episode TEN of ’An Invitation to THE INVITATION’, a limited, chronological deep-dive of the 2015 SUSPENSE-DRAMA written by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi and directed by Karyn Kusama.

I am your host, Jim Penola.

On this show, I start by reading a scene or scenes from the original script followed by an analysis of those scenes, subsequently discussing the differences between the screenplay and the final cut of the film. Ideally shedding light on all the unique components that contribute to the movie, and how each of those elements fit into the greater thematic ideas of the story.

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Let’s begin with a reading of pages [61 through 65] – picking up after WILL’s quiet but intense internal breakdown at dinner, leading him to wander the house alone where he observed SADIE creepily making faces to herself. As WILL began to walk away from the strange sight, SADIE followed.

LET’S BEGIN

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“ An Invitation to THE INVITATION ” – SCRIPT READING.

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...WE SEE SADIE STARING AT [WILL]. SHE FOLLOWS HIM.

EXT. BACKYARD – NIGHT 

…

Slowly, WILL walks back inside, toward the dining room.

(END SCRIPT READ.)

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• Intro.

 MADNESS isn’t necessarily unique to those genetically predisposed to it. Sadly, the tribulations of simply being alive (and the cruel indifference of the universe) often create the conditions for us to be seduced, brainwashed, and manipulated.

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• ANALYSIS / DIFFERENCE: PATIO (script) vs. POOL (film)

This is a fun series of scenes. Maybe “fun” is the wrong word – these are an interesting & gratifying series of scenes. A lot seems to happen in a short amount of time so let’s get to it.

While it’s a small, aesthetic shift (more than anything else), the slight change of location from patio (in the script) to pool (in the film) is notable if for no other reason than the way it fundamentally alters the consistent color palette we’ve seen thus far. Temporarily gone are the warm ambers, dull crimsons, and earth tones of the house’s interior – replaced by an encompassing, luminous blue at the characters’ feet. It’s almost like a visual breath of fresh air before diving back into the overwhelming stimulus and density of the party.

But even in exterior scenes, KUSAMA carefully maintains the claustrophobia by shooting WILL and SADIE’s dialogue in intimate, high-angle close-up. It’s intentionally uncomfortable because it extends the power dynamics of trying to break down peoples’ boundaries like in the “I WANT” game from earlier. SADIE is plainly, stridently entering WILL’s personal space while making wild, unfounded assertions about his relationship with his girlfriend, KIRA.

Compare that to the eye-level blocking of WILL and TOMMY’s interaction immediately after, suggesting the mutual compassion each has for the other. Suggesting the lack of condescension between them that comes from knowing each other for years and years.

Most, if not all, of WILL’s outdoor, backyard contemplations have been solo ventures – whether it’s getting wood for the fire or just escaping the din of the party – and these moments of solitude seem to at least temporarily calm WILL if not placate him completely. 

So, when SADIE shows up (her mere presence already a type of neutral chaos), she inherently adds a level of anxiety to the moment.

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• ANALYSIS: SADIE SEDUCES (or attempts to seduce) WILL.

WILL, only seconds earlier, saw her inexplicably making faces at herself in the mirror – seemingly playing an unsettling game with herself. If WILL wasn’t immediately put off by her at the film’s start, he certainly is now. Speaking of which, this scene by the pool finally pays off SADIE’s disturbingly sexy (sexily disturbing?) introduction. As you might recall, when she first appeared in the story, she was standing almost completely nude in a doorway of the house – quietly making eye contact with WILL before they’d even met.

DAVID introduced her to the party shortly thereafter.

But KUSAMA would continue to drop in moments of SADIE making eyes at WILL which seems to be another small-but-significant deviation from the script (which doesn’t explicitly contain these non-verbal cues). KUSAMA knows how well these characters illustrate the persistent push-pull of the story’s 2 main cliques, and by slowly building it up in the background, it feels properly motivated when SADIE finally acts on it at the pool with WILL. 

The attempted seduction by SADIE ends up being a bookend to the “I WANT” party game. In some ways, “I WANT” (and its wholesale dismissal of boundaries) was the necessary set-up for SADIE to brazenly try to get WILL to abandon his monogamous relationship with KIRA. The “I WANT” game occurs as more of a means of control and manipulation when DAVID directs it, but with SADIE, we see how the game has more direct connotations and applications – while still possessing aspects of power and control of course.

Thankfully, and consistent with the character and performance, WILL resists with no hesitation. You can sense his own ability to see through SADIE’s go-for-broke attitude as she even tries to adapt and appeal to WILL’s unabashed distaste for her.

It’s a powerful scene because after an abundance of characters apologizing and trying to keep up appearances and not ruffle feathers, it’s like the masks are finally off: SADIE essentially demands her wants in clear, indelicate terms while WILL aggressively rebuffs them with no attempt (or reason!) to be socially acceptable. That radical honesty, if you will, becomes cathartic after wall-to-wall scenes of guests navigating a social minefield. 

So… as tense as WILL and SADIE’s interaction at the pool is, there’s still some measure of release and exhalation as we witness the outcome of the characters’ palpable disdain and desire for each other. Like positive and negative ions, there’s an instinctual attraction between the two (think back to WILL’s gaze naturally falling on SADIE in more than one private moment), but that attraction is paradoxically undercut by their fundamentally conflicting personalities and outlooks.

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• ANALYSIS: TOMMY TALKS TO WILL. 

Almost as a chaser to the bitter, antagonistic tone of WILL and SADIE’s verbal parrying at the pool, the film presents a supportive, if urgent, conversation between real, genuine friends: TOMMY and WILL.

On repeat viewings of the film, we can recognize – in WILL and TOMMY’s “tough-but-fair” exchange – that WILL was right (or *is* right) and *has* a right to be suspicious. Yet, I think this scene specifically has less to do with the idea that “Sometimes people are [out to get you]” as KUSAMA puts it in her DGA interview, and more to do with the undeniable content of TOMMY’s short speech. Or at least that’s what stays with me. Nearly everything he says is accurate and can’t be entirely refuted: CLAIRE *is* sexually awkward, CHOI *is* chronically late. Everything *is* weird. These are all true statements.

I think what makes the scene soar (and separates it from similar ones) is the way it highlights how lucid both WILL and TOMMY are, even if their emotions or points-of-view aren’t exactly aligned. Similarly, KUSAMA directs it as an honest conversation between two (very) dear friends – not as an argument or shouting match – but as a quiet, emotional plea.

So many films could be categorized as being preoccupied with grand notions of LOVE and DEATH (and THE INVITATION is no different – it is not exempt), but this scene is a standout because it takes a detour from that archetype and leans into an underrated, oft-ignored narrative theme: FRIENDSHIP. And the friendship between WILL and TOMMY feels remarkably lived-in and authentic here… which allows for a level of love and honesty we simply haven’t seen until now.

Think about WILL and EDEN’s interactions thus far: polite but so dense with baggage that a truly healing conversation is impenetrable under the circumstances.

Think about WILL and BEN: true friends that bring out each other’s lightness, but that shared sense of humor simultaneously acting as a barrier (to deeper discussions).

Think about WILL and GINA: again, a palpable love and respect between them, but the two lacking the vocabulary to have a fully-rounded interaction. 

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TOMMY and WILL might disagree, but even with the benefit of hindsight & repeat viewings, THE INVITATION is never explicitly about punishing or belittling those who didn’t back WILL... or didn’t rise to his level of discomfort. Though I fully admit that the argument could be made, not unlike the trope of the virgin or virgins living through slasher flicks*, that those who weren’t seduced by the party & its hosts were the ones to pay the ultimate price for it.

Even if that is the case, it’s ancillary to the fact that this film is (for the millionth time) about how easy (and therefore how potentially dangerous) it is to slip into the routine of social niceties and the repression of self that can so quickly follow. Through the lens of Horror and Genre, KUSAMA uses an extreme context to convey how this norm not only dulls our sense of self-preservation but self-care. For an example, look no further than last episode when WILL’s attempt to emotionally brute force his way through the dinner results in his most intense breakdown yet.

Unfortunately, I think the term “self-care” has been hollowed out by shallow Influencer Culture inundating people with imagery of poolside brunch and weekend cocktails – which, to be clear, is fine. The only point I’m trying to make is that the phrase is hard to take seriously anymore for this reason, when it should just as easily be shorthand for objectively more valuable actions like attending therapy. 

 TOMMY is definitely an extrovert (like we saw during the party game) but he’s also presented as very well-adjusted, and for that reason, he’s symbolic of the film’s perspective on self-preservation intersecting with social decorum. Meaning

Said another way: WILL’s heightened awareness via his suffering *does* allow him to be more sensitive to insincere politeness & manners AS WELL AS call people out on that behavior (more on that in the next episode). BUT, those traits are arguably incidental to the insidious plot. It’s almost like the filmmakers made him the protagonist because his grief-fueled-overreactions just happen to coincide with the sinister motivations beneath the surface – NOT because WILL has superpowers. His ability to survive the night is kind of an accident. And this makes the film far scarier and more frightening, because he just narrowly avoids death, arguably by chance. But the subtext is clear: horrible as the symptoms of grief are, they’re excruciating signs of life – that we’re still alive and therefore have the opportunity to one day thrive.

But when we’re in mourning, the social minutiae that perhaps once felt important dissolves and is replaced by the need for survival – by any means of getting up and getting through the day.

This is why I included the opening voiceover from George Miller’s MAD MAX: FURY ROAD at the beginning of the episode, because Tom Hardy’s MAX is experiencing the same feelings as Logan Marshall-Green’s WILL. Forget that one movie is a post-apocalyptic action masterpiece and the other is a modern suspense-drama (and forget that the 2 actors look like twins) and think about how MAX and WILL are both so haunted by guilt that their demons have stripped them of any real ability to connect with people, including themselves.

MAX is essentially a grunting, animalistic drifter – borderline non-verbal and aggressively solitary. WILL is a grieving paranoiac with little interest in others, even his closest friends and loving partner. Their perceived failures have traumatized them – left them with no purpose outside of blind survival. 

[quote]

“So I exist in this wasteland, reduced to one instinct: survive.”

[/end quote]

THAT’S grief, or at least one definition of it.

Whereas MAX finds purpose and finds a *true* reason to live, THE INVITATION’s timetable is limited to a single evening so we frankly don’t know where WILL ends up or if he ever finds an empowering reason to live. His arc, or lack thereof, is fascinatingly limited to his survival instinct. What starts as a more cerebral test of WILL’s wits becomes an intensely visceral contest of messy brutality and physicality.

It’s weird to think that the franchise that defined cinematic post-apocalypse isn’t as bleak as the movie about the world’s worst dinner party, but at least thematically, this might be true… the over-the-top desert factions of MAD MAX replaced by THE INVITATION’s painfully banal, disturbingly human devils.

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Those devils at least starting to reveal themselves now, like SADIE at the pool.

Though, as we near the film’s final act, the parallels between the 2 core cliques of THE INVITATION (The Old Friends and “The [Invitation] Posse” of EDEN, DAVID, SADIE, and PRUITT) become clearer and clearer. Last episode, I made the argument that WILL and SADIE are inversions of each other – 2 opposing but inextricable responses to the oppression of grief. Both linked by an apparent need to suppress the full spectrum of their emotions: WILL pretending he’s OK at dinner and SADIE pretending for fun in the bathroom. 

It wouldn’t be a stretch to extend this notion to the groups each character represents. WILL’s friends are repressing some of their instincts in the name of being agreeable but ultimately passive guests. We’ve already seen them react with disdain to some of EDEN and DAVID’s behavior but they’re clearly choosing to stick it out for the duration of the night (with the exception of CLAIRE of course).

Conversely, EDEN, DAVID, SADIE, and PRUITT are fully self-expressed to the point of obliterating personal boundaries. To the point that they’re toxically casting aside their trauma. To the point that they’re dulling their humanity. 

They’re of course hiding their agenda, but even if there wasn’t a sinister motive to their actions, I would still argue that *their* pretense is convincing themselves they’ve healed by virtue of ignoring their grief and sense of loss.

In short, each party is guilty of their own form of lethal repression. As KARYN KUSAMA says: “DENIAL IS THE REAL TYRANNY.”

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• ANALYSIS / DIFFERENCE: TOMMY IS TERSE (script) vs. TOMMY IS KIND (film)

Going back to TOMMY and WILL for a minute… TOMMY’s original dialogue from today’s scene (as written) is both lengthier and much meaner frankly – for example: TOMMY, in the screenplay, outright tells WILL he thinks he should go home. The script still makes their friendship obvious (and includes interesting details like the fact that TOMMY and MIGUEL set up WILL with KIRA), but it kind of villainizes WILL – not that that’s even an inherently bad or poor choice, but compared to the final film, the original exchange is more of a Terse Scolding versus the Kind Plea of the movie wherein TOMMY comes off as loving above all – even if he’s mildly harsh at times. 

Even when he says [insert dialogue: “You gotta stop acting so fucking weird, it’s freaking people out.”] he couches it in a laugh. The simple addition of TOMMY saying [insert dialogue: “I’ll see you back inside”] before walking away does volumes in terms of conveying warmth and compassion rather than a curt indictment or reprimand. Which changes the entire dynamic of the scene and characters. At first glance, these changes seem cosmetic but by not settling and by being as precise as possible with *all* of WILL’s relationships – not just the obvious ones – the results radiate outward: forging a rich, implied tapestry of community that shows & suggests how significant WILL is to *every* guest at the party. 

Again, these details may seem small but it’s the difference between a film that could’ve “just” been about estranged spouses and a film that *is* about being estranged from ALL the people you love and who love you – your ex, your friends, your current partner. 

Because that’s what grief does, or at least what it CAN do. It doesn’t discriminate. All of our communities are fair game to be alienated from us or by us… which ultimately makes THE INVITATION more believable, realistic, affecting, and relatable as a result. 

Between KUSAMA’s consistently assured direction, PLUMMY TUCKER’s muscular editing, and the tangible warmth between MIKE DOYLE as TOMMY and LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN as WILL, this short-but-sweet conversation between friends is a sleeper for one of the film’s finest scenes:

DOYLE’s demeanor is just so effortless and affable for starters. He’s a perfect fit for the role and the chemistry he shares with MARSHALL-GREEN is so clearly representative of the off-screen friendships created within the cast during production. (INSERT COMMENTARY ANECDOTE?)

It’s easy to overlook this part of the movie since there are no grand verbal fireworks, nor is there any violence, or any huge plot point that’s advanced (though the plot gets a huge kick in the ass immediately after TOMMY leaves). But it lingers and becomes increasingly memorable not only because of the way it acts as a gentle (even comforting) reprieve before the film reaches terminal velocity… but because of the way it displays a mature, loving, and honest friendship between 2 adults (in such a short period of time).

I can’t think of many films that do this at all, and the ones that do tend to make a (feature-length) joke out of it – I LOVE YOU, MAN comes to mind (and I say that as a fan of that movie)… which is probably indicative a discussion around male vulnerability that is too deep and too tangential to get into here. The point being that THE INVITATION puts in the work to unapologetically be a movie for grown-ups while not sacrificing the Genre/Horror trappings that simultaneously make it so thrilling and enjoyable.

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With THE INVITATION’s lead character is so deliberately out-of-sync with his peers (and potentially the film’s audience) [as a way to illustrate the complexities of social decorum], the importance a character like TOMMY – especially his on-screen iteration – can’t be overstated, because he functions as an easy proxy for viewers in that he’s not unstable nor is he overly aggressive or eccentric. He’s completely level-headed and approachable. In other words: an ideal friend and confidante.

He’s a lighthouse for WILL, shining a path for him. TOMMY can’t walk the path for WILL but he can at least reveal the way, which he does. And he seems to break through somewhat – not by condescending or lecturing – but by remaining calm, transparent, and empathetic.

Another small but significant change from script to screen comes in the form of TOMMY hugging WILL *then* telling him he’s safe, unlike the screenplay which swaps the order.

This might seem like a neutral, lateral choice, but by having TOMMY going in for the hug first, it suggests (along with the tighter, more minimal dialogue between them) that TOMMY is more interested in *showing* affection than just pontificating. As I’m sure many would agree: when you’re having a vulnerable conversation with a friend, sometimes listening in attentive silence or showing physical signs of empathy can do more than canned verbal acknowledgement. *Leading* with physical signs of affection deepens the verbal ones.

I’m citing a lot of tiny differences this episode, but when observing how all these choices accumulate in a short space? They’re suddenly not so tiny.

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• ANALYSIS: CHOI’S VOICEMAIL (!!)

However, one point that’s objectively huge is CHOI’S VOICEMAIL. True to the alternating pattern of THE INVITATION’s structure, as soon as WILL (and by extension the audience) is assured that his paranoia is overblown and exaggerated, the writers immediately follow that short respite with a highly suggestive piece of hard evidence: CHOI, conspicuously absent for the entire film – the elephant NOT in the room – in his own words reveals that he arrived at EDEN and DAVID’s house early in a voicemail that was finally received by WILL’s phone (after hours of bad reception).

This revelation combined with WILL’s pervasive suspicions and instability are all the ingredients needed to tee WILL up for his most volatile outburst yet which is imminent. Amazingly, it won’t even be his most violent *or* his last explosion at the party. 

While the film has of course been punctuated by numerous moments of heightened emotion and tension and conflict, the discovery of CHOI’S VOICEMAIL is undeniably a massive turning point. It’s the event that will lead us towards the film’s 1st climax or ‘pre-climax’ if you will. I might even call it a ‘false climax’ not unlike a ‘false ending’ in a rock song.

We’ll discuss that more when it happens, but the idea that this film accomplishes that AT ALL is worth planting early – especially because of the way CHOI’s absence is built up, subsequently deflated, and forces the film to then regain momentum in a very short amount of time.

But for now, in this very specific window of time for WILL, hearing CHOI’s voice is significant beyond the obvious in that it functionally erases the sincere plea TOMMY just made.

What if WILL listened to the voicemail *then* TOMMY approached and they spoke?

Maybe that would have put WILL on a more even keel and he would have been able to get out of his head a little bit by expressing himself instead of toxically simmering and stewing after his friend has already exited the backyard. But because he hears the voice message *after* – because he hears it after an entire evening of triggers, discomfort, and suspicion (and not before he entered the house at the film’s start) – it’s almost as if the sheer shock of finally hearing from the person that’s been so noticeably absent instantly nukes TOMMY’s appeal. 

In last week’s episode, I included a quote from writer ANDREW SOLOMON who described depression as a veil being lifted – as if you’re seeing the world for how it really is. That could also be an apt description for WILL’s discovery of the voicemail: like he’s finally seeing his hosts for what he always knew they were – he merely lacked the proof.

WILL’s worldview has been distorted – refracted – by grief, and through the lens of CHOI’s voicemail amid the downplayed chaos of the party, that view has now been magnified, exacerbated, exploded. Creating a beam of hostile light that WILL intends to weaponize. 

Is he justified in that weaponization? Or is his being galvanized by CHOI merely a tragic coincidence and a petty excuse to finally lash out?

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• OUTRO.

“An Invitation to THE INVITATION” is written, produced, and hosted by me, Jim Penola.

Original Score is by John Penola.

FOLLOW US ON Twitter @AnInvitation (no underscores) [Social Media password = LMGisKing] and FOLLOW US ON Instagram @Invitation2Invitation

That’s “Invitation, the number two, Invitation” with no underscores.

Likewise, EMAIL US @Invitation2Invitation@gmail.com with questions and comments.

Special Thanks to the filmmakers and to our featured actors this episode:

SUMMER MASTAIN as SADIE, TIGHE KELLNER as TOMMY, and RYAN SMITH as CHOI.

Lastly, special thanks to the Penola family for their support.

Please spread the word if you enjoyed this episode, and we’ll see you next time.”

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