At this point, it’s fair to say that Karen Gillan is a household name. Like many of you, I have seen and loved her energetic performances in Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, so I was naturally drawn to The Party’s Just Beginning when it arrived on Hulu. Initially, I thought that this movie would be a dramedy that mixes the ups and downs of life, but I was sorely mistaken.
This is one of the darkest and boldest movies that I’ve ever seen.
The Cast Is Excellent.
The Party’s Just Beginning focuses on a young woman named Luisaidh (also known as Lucy) as she struggles to find meaning in her seemingly aimless life. When we first meet her, she seems like another drunken floozy that any one of us might pass by at a bar on a given night, but it doesn’t take all that long for Gillan to masterfully reveal a deeply saddening struggle with depression, grief, and loneliness. I couldn’t help but marvel at Gillan’s emotional range in this role, and I have a feeling that you’ll get swept up in her story as well.
Dale (Lee Pace), Alistair (Matthew Beard), and Ben (Jaime Quinn) round out the main cast, and they all prove to be more than up to the sheer challenge of their respective roles. I empathized a teensy bit more with Dale and Lucy’s apparently meaningless fling, but it is certainly fair to say that the tragic friendship between Alistair and Lucy is the heart of the film. There are sparks of hope and caring there, but all of that is undercut by a mixture of sheer horror and grief.
Of course, there are a few bit players here and there, but they mostly demonstrate Lucy’s isolation. She can’t really relate to her mom (Siobhan Redmond) because of the facade that she puts up around her friends, and her dad (Paul Higgins) has all but zoned out of life. Sure, she makes another friend on the phone (Ralph Riach) and sometimes talks to people at work, but that can’t fill the hole.
The Plot Is Simple, But Incredibly Effective.
As I pointed out above, The Party’s Just Beginning is very much a reflection on life in Scotland, but it’s also an examination of Lucy’s inner psyche as she endures the seemingly endless nightmare of Alistair’s suicide. Much of the film focuses on her darkly cynical attitude toward life, but it’s perfectly understandable because it seems like everyone around her wants to check out or die.
Lucy doesn’t really give up on herself. She just drowns her misery in booze, drugs, fries, and pointless sex.
In contrast to a lot of other films, I think that the sheer repetition works here. Gillan paints a rather gloomy picture of the world, but the almost consistent routine that Lucy chafes and strains under may be more relatable than most of us would care to admit. We’ve all gone through that stretch of life where we’ve wondered what the hell we’re doing. The only difference is that this movie layers a spoonful of depression on top of it all.
The Only Problem.
If any fault is to be found in this movie, I think that it mostly lies with the editing department. In certain sections, the film utilizes flashbacks for character development, but it’s done in an erratic way that might make it a little difficult for some viewers to follow along. After a little while, I could tell that this effect was designed to represent Lucy’s grieving mind. With that said, I think that the line between past and present could have used some smoother transitions, such as the one in the second half where our protagonist opens a door to reveal Alistair’s apartment.
On the other hand, Gillan uses the “ghost” of Alistair to great effect in much of the film, especially since it forces the viewer to consider Lucy’s mental state. Is she wallowing in despair? Would her friend be disappointed in her? How far will this depressive episode go? Can she ever climb out of it?
I’m not going to spoil things for you here.
Conclusion.
The Party’s Just Beginning is not for everyone, but it is a great meditation on a real problem that is plaguing our society. The characters are genuinely sympathetic, the story is down-to-earth, and any minor quibbles can be easily discarded. If you can stomach a downer movie, this one will stick with you for a long time to come.
Let’s just hope that Karen Gillan’s next movie is a bit more hopeful than this one.
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