Tom Stourton in All My Friends Hate Me, in cinemas now.
Tom Stourton in All My Friends Hate Me, in cinemas now.
This disturbingly relatable dark British comedy/thriller does an amazing job of turning social anxiety and general awkwardness into excruciating cinematic terror, while also being very funny.
It takes a familiar set-up (old uni chums reunite for a weekend at a country manor) and infuses it with incredibly well-observed depictions ofgroup social dynamics among 30-somethings, the distance that can form between friends over time, and some good old-fashioned English class conflict.
Our protagonist is Pete (Tom Stourton, who also co-wrote the screenplay), a tall, well-meaning, socially awkward “nice guy” who recently returned from a stint volunteering at a refugee camp, a fact he is never quite able to insert into conversation organically.
He has plans to celebrate his 31st birthday weekend with his mostly upper-crust college friends at a plush estate. Before heading off, he reassures his girlfriend (who is joining them later) that the group (which includes his ex) aren’t “stereotypical posh people”.
After an uncomfortable encounter with a craggy-faced local, Pete arrives to an empty house while hilariously blasting Darude’s Sandstorm. He eventually connects with the gang, which includes cheerful George (Joshua McGuire), whose parents own the house, the scathing Fig (Georgina Campbell, recently seen in Barbarian), the sloshed Archie (Graham Dickson, wholeheartedly embracing and indeed elevating the toffy lush trope), dour ex-girlfriend Claire (Antonia Clarke) and an acerbic rando they picked up at the pub named Harry (Dustin Demri-Burns).
Everyone is all smiles, but Pete just can’t quite seem to properly engage with his pals, whom he hasn’t seen in years. As the weekend progresses, things get more and more strained, and it all seems to be Pete’s fault. Harry, in particular, seems to have it in for him.
As the increasingly offputting incidents pile up, Pete begins to suspect something genuinely nefarious is in play. But surely his rich friends don’t want to actually murder him?
This mostly plays out as a darkly comedic thriller/horror and does a remarkably effective job of suggesting a deadly turn of events is always just around the corner. Discovering whether or not that turn arrives is the fun of the film. And it is a lot of fun.
The cast full of fresh rising talents is uniformly excellent, with Stourton providing an endearing, exasperating subversion of what we have been taught to expect from our lead characters. Everyone here is somehow both awful and relatable at the same time. The film exploits the modern tendency to over-perceive our interactions with others and spins it into bountiful cinematic gold.
Screening as part of the British Film Festival, which runs throughout the country from December 1-18, this minor modern masterpiece is well worth seeking out if you enjoy caustic social satires.
Star Rating: 5 stars
Cast: Tom Stourton, Georgina Campbell, Joshua McGuire
