"DIN DIN" (2024) Invites You To A Delicious Dinner Of Couples Trauma (REVIEW)

Have you ever been to a dinner party where it’s obvious the host's relationship is on shaky ground? The lighthearted banter starts to turn toward the personal, the jokes and jabs that were eliciting laughs previously, are now met with cold stares or full-on retaliation. Comments and asides grow fangs and draw blood, replies become less conversational, and more heat-seeking missiles aimed straight for the most vulnerable spots of their target. The room turns from a warmly lit safe space amongst friends into a Grand Guignol nobody walks away from unscathed. If you’ve experienced this then trigger warnings abound for “DIN DIN”, a close-quarters experiment in escalating tension and excruciating unease directed by Brendan Patrick Hughes, and adapted by Brenda Withers for the screen from her play of the same name. 

THE PLOT:

The simplicity of the setup is what makes “DIN DIN” so effective.  A typical weekend get-together of four for good food, better wine, and great conversation leads to a night they won’t ever forget. Married couple Darlene (Brenda Withers) and Pierre (Robert Knopf) are hosting Emily (Stacy Fisher) and Ricky (Jonathan Fielding), for a delicious meal. We join our quartet towards the end of the night when the conversation has turned toward opinion. In this case, one that would make The Smiths proud, “Is meat murder?” From that jumping point, Hughes treats the viewer to various scenes of each character exposing their true selves.  We get takes on class (Darlene and Pierre being well off, while Emily and Ricky are struggling to get by creatives)., the perception of wealth equaling experience, the fragile armor of righteous indignity, and the thin ice of relationships to name a few. This is handled deftly as the film transitions to a gorgeously lit black and white, shout-out to cinematographer Emily Topper, which benefits the actors beautifully as they peel their layers back one by one to expose themselves warts and all. It’s in these scenes where the power dynamic shifts with each revelation of who these people truly are at their core, the hypocrisy, the preening, the lies, the fear, that work to elevate this film from a simple adaptation to something completely its own. The script is razor sharp, at times eliciting the best of Mammet in the blunt force trauma of the dialogue to Albee’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFE? in the unbearable discomfort experienced by the guests. This film is entirely its own however, the themes may be standard but what Withers does with them is unique, and coupled with the fine acting of all the players the film delivers a truly cringe-inducing get-together you won’t soon forget.

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

This film may not be for everyone.  As mentioned before, if seeing people made to feel uncomfortable isn’t your thing then “DIN DIN” is a pass for you.  It also takes its time to let the scenes breathe and land. This is not “Fast X,” it’s a cerebral chamber piece that delivers an emotional impact. However, if you’re like us and revel in the excruciating unease felt by every character then this is your cup of tea. At a brisk 72 minutes, this film is certainly short but feels completely fleshed out and real.  We have no idea if aspects of the play were left on the cutting room floor but the film stands on its own as a new entry into what’s becoming its own sub-genre, “dinner table trauma porn.”

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