The Birthday Party

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2:02

The Birthday Party

In Theaters Aug 14

1h 43m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

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16 Reviews

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The story is set in the late 1970s somewhere in the Mediterranean, where Marcos Timoleon, an Aristotle Onassis-like tycoon, is throwing a lavish, extravagant birthday party for Sofia, his daughter and sole heiress, on his exclusive private island. The party is a perfect excuse for various people in his life to approach him with their own agendas. But Marcos, who is used to ruthlessly controlling everything and everyone around him at whatever cost, is also secretly plotting a big decision on his daughter's behalf. Sofia, however, has come to share some important news of her own. As guests start pouring in and night falls, the party grows rowdier and more decadent, while the inevitable clash between Marcos and Sofia reaches a heartbreaking climax.

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In Theaters Aug 14

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Miguel Ángel Jiménez

Director

Willem Dafoe

Marcos Timoleon

Vic Carmen Sonne

Sofia

Joe Cole

Journalist

Emma Suárez

Olivia

Carlos Cuevas

Actor

Guy Lodge

Variety

08/12/2025

Brooding, glowering and sometimes even speak-singing his way through proceedings, Dafoe is rarely less than compelling; the same cannot be said, however, for the leaden film around him.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

08/11/2025

3/5

This is a strong, confident picture that hits its measured stride early on. Its pace and style and language are dictated by a charismatic Dafoe; however, he gives the impression that this performance is not exactly a stretch for him.

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Brian Farvour

The Playlist

2h

C-

“The Birthday Party” is a film that, sadly, has but one feather in its wealthy, tanned cap: Willem Dafoe is the star. And that is about where much of what the film has going for it both begins and ends.

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

4h

B-

Finds a few unions worth examining, adding unusual eroticism and levels of suspicion as the story takes in life-changing turns for people attending an opulent celebration of youth.

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Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Loud and Clear Reviews

1d

3/5

The Birthday Party isn’t worth celebrating, but thankfully, it isn’t worth leaving either.

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Robert Kojder

Flickering Myth

2d

2/5

The Birthday Party languishes and is only made tolerable by Willem Dafoe, who searches for depth and is eminently watchable. Even then, this is a party not worth showing up to

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Synopsis

The story is set in the late 1970s somewhere in the Mediterranean, where Marcos Timoleon, an Aristotle Onassis-like tycoon, is throwing a lavish, extravagant birthday party for Sofia, his daughter and sole heiress, on his exclusive private island. The party is a perfect excuse for various people in his life to approach him with their own agendas. But Marcos, who is used to ruthlessly controlling everything and everyone around him at whatever cost, is also secretly plotting a big decision on his daughter's behalf. Sofia, however, has come to share some important news of her own. As guests start pouring in and night falls, the party grows rowdier and more decadent, while the inevitable clash between Marcos and Sofia reaches a heartbreaking climax.

Director: Miguel Ángel Jiménez
Producer: Giorgos Karnavas, Adria Mones, Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit, Kurban Kassam
Screenwriter: Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Giorgos Karnavas, Nicos Panayotopoulos
Distributor: Quiver Distribution
Production Co: Heretic
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 14, 2026, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 14, 2026
Runtime: 1h 43m

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