THE PARTY’S JUST BEGINNING
This stylish, intimate examination of a young woman trapped by her own grief and sadness marks the feature directorial debut of actress Karen Gillan, who also wrote and stars in the film.
Still reeling from the suicide of her best friend Alistair one year prior, Liusaidh flings herself from one bad situation to another—skipping work, drinking until she’s numb, hooking up with random strangers, and then ending each night on the same bridge where her friend took his life. Keeping friends, family members, and strangers at arm’s length through disdain and dark humor, she’s determined to pay a self-imposed penance for past and present misdeeds. When a visiting Londoner gets past her wickedly caustic defenses, Liusaidh allows herself a brief respite from her downward spiral, but like the beautiful melodies Liusaidh furtively plays on the family piano, the relationship is fragile and gradually fades away. Her eyes expressing a remarkable depth of pain and sadness, Gillan, best known for her roles in DOCTOR WHO and the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movies, gives a fierce performance as Liusaidh. At the same time, she shows herself to be a remarkably empathic, thoughtful director, drawing us into the world of a woman with no one left to confront but herself.
CAST: Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Matthew Beard
In Competition: First Feature Award
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