Don's Party

Set on election night, 1969, this savage black comedy lifts the lid off suburban Australia and exposes all the prejudice and resentment simmering underneath. Adapted by David Williamson from his own play, the dialogue crackles with offensive opinions and lacerating insults as the 11 guests throw off their ill-fitting gentility and let rip at one another as the beer flows and the results come in. Bruce Beresford paces the descent into uncivil war to perfection, while the cast are uniformly excellent in turning grotesque caricatures into credible specimens of boorish humanity. Look out for then-prime minister, John Gorton, in a cameo.