The Party's Just Beginning

Karen Gillan writes, directs and stars in this comedy drama about a woman whose life is haunted by the death of her best friend. Fearlessly exploring a difficult subject, Gillan effectively portrays how her character Liusaidh's mental health is affected by depression, grief, anxiety and shame. Dark humour lurks in the gloom, and with it an odd kind of hope, as the film searches for a reason for Liusaidh to keep going, with Lee Pace excellent as a man with whom Liusaidh becomes involved. Whereas many directing debuts are simply vanity projects, Gillan proves to be both a compelling star and a promising film-maker, and The Party's Just Beginning is a timely story passionately told.