Invitation to dinner (2014) is an approximately seven-minute short film written and directed by Annalisa Iavarone (Obsession).
The film's story centers on a young man (Simone Bisanzio) who prepares a romantic dinner for his girlfriend (Diana Bologna). The evening seems to flow pleasantly, and after delighting the young woman with his elaborate dishes, the man leads her to the basement to finish the program he has in mind.
Invitation to dinner is a film that deals with the theme of anthropophagy. The topic is treated veiled, leaving instead room for the rather refined modus operandi of the cannibal killer. The long sequence devoted to the preparation of the dinner, depicted almost as if it were a ritual, and the consumption of it together with the host, then gives way to the horror soul of the film in which the protagonist's true disposition takes over.
Highlighting the contrast between the romantic dinner sequence and the murder in the basement, in addition to the location, is an appreciable color change in the cinematography from accentuated sepia to red, and also of the music that becomes more aggressive. The horror is unfortunately only suggested, almost imperceptible.
After an overly honeyed sequence that seems interminable, the expected final part in the basement turns out to be very brief and proves a disappointment by failing to meet the expectations of those hoping to witness an explosion of violence or at least see the cannibal in action.
The choice to depict meat dishes as a consequence of the cannibal's actions seems an easy shortcut aimed at simplifying the work.
The almost sketchy subject of anthropology thus seems to vanish. In this way, being almost devoid of such an indispensable component, Invitation to dinner could only be remembered as a lesson in table etiquette and a clumsy amorous approach between amateurs, thus intended for a general audience but not for horror fans. Better acting, moreover, would surely have benefited the film.
Iavarone's work is still appreciable but outside the horror context.
The cast includes Alessia Colombo in addition to Simone Bisanzio (Obsession) and Diana Bologna.
Invitation to dinner was produced by Giuseppe Iavarone.
