The Birthday Party
| Release Date: TBA CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
TheWrapZachary LeeMay 23, 2026
There’s easily another version of this story that could have been the movie of the week on Netflix, but Mysius and her team are too talented, too adroitly adept at merging the universal emotions of their characters with the cultural specificity of this story, to deliver anything less than compelling. Read full review
67
IndieWireRyan LattanzioMay 23, 2026
Mysius is a rigorously attentive filmmaker, obsessed by the small details that make up the frames of a thriller, who I’d love to be served by better material that isn’t such a by-the-numbers thriller. Read full review
60
The TimesEd PottonMay 25, 2026
At heart, though, this is just a suspense movie with some decent twists and an excellent turn from Tawba El Gharchi as Ida, Thomas and Nora’s fiery young daughter. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMay 23, 2026
A pileup of movie-ish improbabilities in the climactic act notwithsanding, the new film is a taut nail-biter with a strong cast. Read full review
60
Screen DailyNikki BaughanMay 23, 2026
Lea Mysius’s third feature is a taut exploration of family, identity and betrayal, with a claustrophobic atmosphere and strong performances from Hafsia Herzi and Monica Bellucci. But conventional plotting and a relentlessly sombre tone mean that The Birthday Party never truly comes alive. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 23, 2026
The tension is capably managed and Magimel is a gargoyle of menace. Read full review
40
VarietyBeatrice LoayzaMay 23, 2026
The overlap of the two households, which offers an exciting narrative possibility, peters out with predictable cynicisms, while the climax is borderline comedic in its forced symbolism about family bonds. Read full review
40
Next Best PictureJack HewittMay 23, 2026
For all The Birthday Party’s faults, the benefits of her assured direction, a confident and watchable cast, and further dissection of the film’s signature themes of generational trauma are obfuscated by unignorable flaws. Read full review
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55 Critic Reviews

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