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The Birthday Party

Play trailer Poster for The Birthday Party 2026 1h 54m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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56% Tomatometer 18 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
Thomas, Nora and their teenage daughter Ida live on remote marshland. Social contact is limited, as they only have one neighbor, Cristina, an Italian painter. As the two households plan a surprise birthday party for Nora, strange disturbances begin to occur and unease rolls over the marsh.

Critics Reviews

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Namrata Joshi The New Indian Express Jun 25
The Birthday Party is a middling thriller/hostage drama that would make for a decent one time watch on a streaming platform. Go to Full Review Stephen A. Russell Time Out Jun 16
With a great cast and a claustrophobic, near-one-location shoot by Emilia Pérez cinematographer Paul Guilhaume, the scene is set for bloodshed. But The Birthday Party is too languorously paced to keep the tension levels high. Go to Full Review Justin Chang The New Yorker May 28
I don’t know if the French director Léa Mysius’s home-invasion thriller is the worst film in this year’s [Cannes Film Festival] competition, but for its nearly two-hour duration, it struck me as by far the biggest waste of time. Go to Full Review Louisa Moore Screen Zealots 2d
It’s Dafoe who makes it worth watching. His commanding performance anchors the entire film and elevates material that might otherwise drift too far into overwrought family tragedy. Go to Full Review Sarah Manvel Movies We Texted About 4d
For a capably made minor entertainment The Birthday Party will hit the spot, but it’s nothing to put a party hat on for. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Léa Mysius

Director

Hafsia Herzi

Actor

Benoît Magimel

Actor

Bastien Bouillon

Actor

Monica Bellucci

Actor

Tawba El Gharchi

Actor
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The Birthday Party

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Movie Info

Synopsis Thomas, Nora and their teenage daughter Ida live on remote marshland. Social contact is limited, as they only have one neighbor, Cristina, an Italian painter. As the two households plan a surprise birthday party for Nora, strange disturbances begin to occur and unease rolls over the marsh.
Director
Léa Mysius
Producer
Jean-Louis Livi, Marie-Ange Luciani
Screenwriter
Léa Mysius
Production Co
F Comme Film
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
French
Runtime
1h 54m
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