Americans might call it a cringe comedy. But given its Devon setting, this sure-footed British debut is more a horror-comedy of manners.
Working from an nervy script — co-written by Tom Palmer and star Tom Stourton — Andrew Gaynord’s All My Friends Hate Me is a brilliant, blanch-making knot of misunderstood jokes, social discomfort, inappropriate pranks and genuine fear.
Pete (Stourton) has recently returned from volunteering in a refugee camp and, as the film begins, heads to a country estate owned by his friend George (McGuire) where he’ll celebrate his 31st birthday with his old college chums Fig (Campbell), Archie (Dickson), and Pete’s ex-girlfriend Claire (Clarke).
From the get-go, something is off. Even Ben Moulden’s camerawork is a bit (deliberately) askew. Pete fails to reconnect with the crew due their lack of maturity (Darude’s Sandstorm is still blasting from the sound system), his humble-brags concerning his charity work, and a visible class divide between Pete and the others.
Attempts at gentle ribbing about Pete’s supposedly new Northern accent don’t go down well. Meanwhile, his attempt at sending up the Devonian who gave him directions (Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’s Christopher Fairbank) goes hideously wrong.
The presence of “hilarious” newcomer Harry (Demri-Burns), meanwhile, makes Pete increasingly paranoid. Is Harry, in effect, the gang’s new Pete? And why is Harry constantly taking notes as Pete speaks?
Soon, even such benign utterances as “thank you” inspire dirty looks. Drunken misremembered college adventures create friction. Even the late arrival of Pete’s girlfriend Sonia (Clive) fails to ease his anxiety.
At its best, All My Friends shares DNA with both the social dread of Ruben Östlund’s get-togethers and the leylines of Ben Wheatley. Hints of English folk horror — a pitbull tied up near a car, accusing looks at the driven grouse shoot — add to the delicious disquiet. Imagine if Ben Wheatley rebooted Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Beneath the barbs, Stourton remains likeable and compassionate, for all his character’s self-involvement, public flailing and chatter about life in the refugee camp. It helps that the toffs around him are — thanks to a winning ensemble — so much worse.
