Tribeca Film Festival– In Family Dinner, overweight teenager Simi (Nina Katlein) just wants to shed some pounds, so she stays at her Aunt Claudia’s (Pia Hierzegger) farm in order to fast. However, things aren’t quite what they seem. Writer/director Peter Hengl‘s film is a holiday dinner from hell, filled with its share of uncomfortable scenes. Savvy viewers will likely catch onto the aunt’s tricks, but it doesn’t make the film any less unsettling, especially its ending.

Simi stays with her aunt because she’s a diet expert and has published several books on weight loss. Initially, Aunt Claudia is reluctant to help her niece, but when she finds one of her books at the bottom of Simi’s duffle bag, she has some sympathy for the kid and agrees to put her on a diet/fasting program. For about a half a week leading up to Easter Sunday, the teen can’t eat a thing, no matter how much her tummy grumbles and groans in discomfort. To make matters worse, Aunt Claudia feeds her bullying son Filipp (Alexander Sladek) lavish meals.

The frequent close-ups of food look colorful and extravagant. You can almost smell the meat and veggies. Things get really weird, though, when Simi joins Filipp and Aunt Claudia’s partner, Stefan (Michael Pink), on a hunting trip. Filipp shoots a rabbit but struggles to slice its neck and put it out of its squealing misery. Simi steps forward and does the task for him, earning the affection and attention of both Stefan and Aunt Claudia. She’s their new favorite, to Filipp’s dismay, who becomes increasingly paranoid his family is out to hurt him.

Family Dinner is a mighty slow burn, but as each day ticks down to Easter Sunday, the events get stranger and stranger. The film also contains some elements of folk horror, especially once Simi discovers a strange tipi-like structure made out of branches near the house. Further, Aunt Claudia confesses that her new book is about ancient cultures. Horror fans will likely know that none of this will lead to anything good. All the clues are there.

Though the film is a slow burn, it’s still tense and harrowing, especially the scenes at the dinner table. Simi’s struggle not to eat festers, while Filipp is forced to eat, even if he doesn’t want the food. Rarely have close-ups of food felt so menacing. The scrape of a fork across the plate or the relentless sound of Simi’s growling tummy is used to great effect. Katlein and Hierzegger carry much of this film. Katlein endows Simi with a quiet sort of strength, a resistance that’s to be applauded. Hierzegger becomes more and more terrifying due to the strange ways and rituals that she forces upon the rest of the family. The use of Easter imagery here works great, too, especially at the final dinner.

Family Dinner is the diet from hell. The feature successfully weaves folk horror with family terror, making viewers question every family member’s true motives. This is a film that’s not for the squeamish, but it also shows restraint and builds to a satisfying conclusion. Finally, we’ve been gifted a solid Easter horror movie, a real holiday dinner from hell.

8 Out of 10