Genuine but increasingly insecure Pete is cautiously excited about reuniting with his college crew for a birthday weekend at a magnificent country manor. It’s been years since the raucous bunch spent time together and he apprehensively prepares himself for a reintroduction into good-natured ribbing, heavy intoxication and hilarious, not at all awkward strolls down memory lane. With his girlfriend joining the festivities midway through—whom none of his friends have yet to meet—Pete sets his sight on proposing before the weekend’s out. Best laid plans, dear audience.

In Andrew Gaynord’s poignantly appropriate for our socially anxious times black comedy, we are treated to a hilariously smart story of one man’s paranoia, so thick with suspicion that the lines between truth and simple insecurity become fuzzier with each passing minute. Screenwriter and star, Tom Stourton, imbues the idiosyncratic intricacies of Pete’s insecurity with nuance and humor, steadily building the level of tension as his attempts to connect with his friends—despite their oddly intense teasing—consistently go awry. A don’t miss it comedy that not only nails scene after scene of cringe-worthy moments, but leaves you questioning our impending return to customary social life.
—Liza Domnitz

Andrew Gaynord