Hosts (2020) - How Expectations Affect Perception

Do we ever truly know someone? There's a façade we put up when we meet new people. An appearance to impress the men and women in our lives that we think will boost our status or ego. But when it's an intimate setting, there's usually more to the exchange - an expectation of trust and sharing.

When a tight-knit family invite their neighbours, a young couple, over for a pleasant Christmas dinner, expectations fly out the window. After an introduction to the loving couple in the opening of the film, it's clear Christmas is going to be anything but traditional.

Deep conversation and good food are staples with most families. And this film does a great job of inviting the audience to the table, with natural dialogue and comforting laughter. For me, the character building is what strengthens our connection to the unfolding events and the messages they convey.

Akin to the dialogue, a few of the visuals give weight to certain characters with natural-looking lighting and well-placed shots, but the seemingly candle-lit moments lack definition. One of our main antagonists gets a great tracking shot down a hallway and, at one point, the couple poses purposefully like the farmer and daughter from Grant Wood's American Gothic painting. It's not perfect by any means, and there's a clusterfuck of ideas thrown at you, but there is a genuine attempt to create a mood.

The feel of the soundtrack produces uneasiness at the best of times and a disconnected tone at its worst. It's not that it's lacking in quality; on the contrary - Benjamin Symons' touch is deliberate and epic. It just doesn't connect with the individual scenes as much as it does with the film as a whole.

Personally, I would have started this movie after the introduction of the couple. There's a real charm to the shots from the 16 minute and 45-second mark onward, and good tension starts with good pacing. The rollercoaster reaches its first peaks a little too early for my liking but it still makes for a good attempt at unforgiving holiday horror. Bon Appetit!