'The Birthday Party' Review: Hafsia Herzi, Benoît Magimel, and Monica Bellucci star in Léa Mysius' exciting, though inconsistent, home invasion thriller.

A family on a faraway farm and their artist neighbor from Italy are shocked when three troublesome brothers force their way in. The oldest brother has a secret reason for being there.

BY Mahnoor | 23-05-2026

The Birthday Party is a lean, intense, and often scary home invasion thriller, similar to movies like Funny Games and Speak No Evil, though not as brutally shocking. Adapted from a popular French book by Laurent Mauvignier, writer-director Léa Mysius's third film, like her 2022 fantasy drama The Five Devils, is set in a remote location and has a taste for darkness. However, it's more focused than that genre-mixing film. Despite some unrealistic events at the end, the movie is a tightly paced and suspenseful with a talented cast.

The Bergogne family goes through a very tough and awful night. Thomas (Bastien Bouillon) is a hardworking dad who runs their small dairy farm in the French countryside. His wife, Nora (Hafsia Herzi), is surprised on her 40th birthday when she gets promoted to head of town planning at work. They also have a smart young daughter named Ida (Tawba El Gharchi).

The Birthday Party

Summary: Worth watching, but the ending needs improvement.

Where: Cannes Film Festival (Competition)

Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Benoît Magimel, Bastien Bouillon, Monica Bellucci, Tawba El Gharchi, Paul Hamy, Alane Delhaye, Servane Ducorps, Tatia Tsuladze

Director: Léa Mysius

Writer: Léa Mysius, based on the book Histoires de la Nuit by Laurent Mauvignier

Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes

They only have one neighbor, Cristina (Monica Bellucci). She's a rich Italian artist who lives and works in a stylish studio that looks like an old barn. Ida often visits her to paint after school.

Early on, Nora's strong reaction to Ida's dance video hints at something important. Even though Ida worries about losing views, Nora insists the video be removed, showing she doesn't want to be seen online.

Another key sign in the story is when a suspicious man, later named Flo (Paul Hamy), shows up while the family is away. He tells Cristina he's there to see the farmhouse because it's for sale. Cristina doesn't know about any plans to sell, and her quickness to dismiss him suggests she has good instincts.

Flo is back quickly, first with her younger, seemingly not-too-bright brother Bègue (Alane Delhaye), who was in a mental hospital for two years. Then comes the oldest brother, Franck (Benoît Magimel), who is obviously in charge. When Ida arrives at Cristina's after school, the place seems empty. Even the painter's dog is missing. But the brothers are just hiding her so she can't warn Thomas when he returns.

Besides the building fear and threat of violence, Mysius' story focuses on how the intruders psychologically harm the family, since they know so much about them. They know Thomas bought the farm when the area was failing, and he's in debt. Franck and his group let him decorate for Nora's birthday before revealing themselves.

Nora gets a flat tire coming home from work, making her late. When she arrives, Franck greets her like he knows her, calling her Leïla, but she says he's mistaken. Franck doesn't believe her, creating tension throughout the night and suggesting a shared past, making Thomas question how well he knows his wife.

Mysius keeps the tense negotiation scene going, and all the characters feel real. But the director truly shines by focusing on the women, who aren't just scared but are also secretly planning and looking for Franck and his brothers' weaknesses to exploit.

Some of the best parts show Bègue watching Cristina alone in the studio. He tries to seem strong, but she sees he's actually sensitive and feels bad about how his brothers treat him poorly. Bellucci is great as Cristina, who seems to be planning something but is patient. She talks to Bègue about her art, and it's clear he's not used to being treated like a smart adult. Sharing wine and a joint makes their time together feel relaxed, but only to a degree.

Meanwhile, Nora's neighbor is getting bothered about secrets from her past that she hid from her family. When she has to admit her history with Franck, her marriage problems and trust issues mix with dangerous strangers who seem okay with violence.

Ida is told to stay in the living room and watch cartoons, but she pays attention to everything, even if she doesn't understand it all.

Besides the women, the three tough guys add a strong energy. Magimel acts like Brando, using his size and scary words to intimidate. Hamy is exciting, with cocky charm and danger. Delhaye is almost sweet as Bègue, who isn't confident enough for crime, and he likely knows it.

But the best acting is by Herzi. She was great in The Secret of the Grain and at Cannes last year with her movie The Little Sister, a beautiful story about a young queer person growing up. She's very talented and deserves to be famous as an actor and director.

The movie starts strong, quickly setting things up and creating suspense, but it's disappointing that the ending is weak. The movie often feels unrealistic, pulling you out of the story. For example, a character badly wounded from a gunshot ignores the pain to deal with personal feelings. Also, another character's sudden expert marksmanship feels like an old Western movie cliché that any beginner screenwriter would avoid.

European genre films often have mixed results when remade in America, but with some clever changes to its shaky ending, this one could actually work well.