The Birthday Party

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2:02

The Birthday Party

Aug 2026

1h 43m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

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19 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

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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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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Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

1h

The stylish film immerses us in its period setting, although the protagonist is consistently more compelling than the dull action and characters around him.

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Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

2h

7/10

I can see people dismissing it as style over substance, but there’s a lot of the latter too if you let its intricacies wash over you. Its complexity simply exists in its characters rather than its plot.

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Mark Dujsik

Mark Reviews Movies

10h

1.5/4

The movie ... feels about as hollow as its main character...

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Brian Farvour

The Playlist

1d

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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Stephen C

@bob25009 48m

Success in 1 hour and 43 minutes.

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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

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The Birthday Party: Trailer 1

2:02

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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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