I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly looking forward to digging into co-directors Nora Kaye and Daisy Rosato’s “Sinner Supper Club,” a film billed as “an improvised gay mumblecore ghost story shot on an iPhone in six days.” On paper, that absolutely sounds like the kind of festival movie that might be a bit of a chore. In reality, I kind of dug everything about its rough around the edges quality.
The film is loosely centered around a group of friends who are stuck together in a hot apartment and arguing about their problems. The group is throwing a cringey “eviction funeral” for their friend Genevieve who is being priced out of New York, but this gang ends up pretty fun to hang out with. Lines are blurred between real life people and fictional characters, but everyone here feels authentic and genuine.
The setup is simple, but works. As the members of the friend group trickle in with varying levels of enthusiasm, you’ll absolutely find one (or more) characters to be highly relatable (or at least recognizable). Nora shows up late, Alice brings along a partner whose name nobody can remember, and Jayae clearly doesn’t want to be around “these people,” yet shows up anyway. The vibe is already a little tense, and that’s before the heatwave, the lack of food, and a pile of unresolved friendship drama start pushing everyone over the edge.
As the night drags on, the group gets increasingly delirious and starts throwing emotional Hail Marys trying to recapture whatever connection they used to have. Old resentments come out, weird jokes fly around, and then (because this movie likes to keep things weird), their dead friend shows up. It’s part mumblecore hangout movie and part ghost story, an odd combo that somehow actually works.
What surprised me most is how likable the characters are. On paper they sound exhausting, but the performances are funny and natural enough that it really does feel like you’re just hanging out with a group of friends on a chaotic night. The humor lands more often than you’d expect, and the improv-heavy style gives the conversations a loose, believable energy.
The movie was apparently developed through improv in about six days and shot entirely on an iPhone, which makes the filmmaking even more impressive. It’s well directed, and honestly a good reminder of how much you can do with a small setup if you’ve got strong performances and a clear vibe.
The film does feel like it runs out of material from time to time. There are stretches where the story kind of drifts and you can sense the limits of the premise. But I still stayed invested because the characters and their messy relationships are fun to watch.
Overall, “Sinner Supper Club” is a lot more entertaining than its premise might suggest. It’s scrappy, weird, occasionally chaotic, but also funny and surprisingly charming, the kind of small indie where just spending time with the characters ends up being the whole point.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 