Mealtimes: universal rituals, governed by age-old etiquette and pleasantries. In an ideal world, they’re a chance to unwind, be with your loved ones and enjoy a hearty meal. Stick this familiar domestic tradition in front of some lights and a camera, however, and the dining room table often transforms into an arena rippling with latently bubbling friction.
Which tense family meal scenes would you add to this list? Let us know, in the comments.
American History X
Tony Kaye’s stellar film about American neo-Nazi subcultures is known for its gruesome violence and the equally troubling political views of its central characters. Yet, in spite of the absence of guns and fistfights, the film’s iconic dinner scene is remembered as one of the film’s most tense moments, showing the stark disintegration of a family’s political discussion over carved beef.
Tree of Life
Focusing on the life of a Texan family, Terrence Malick’s film is full of strained dinner scenes. Despite the subdued nature of this one, it gives a glimpse into the cracks beginning to show between the members of the O’Brien family, as Brad Pitt’s character’s stoic masculinity and patriarchal manner begin to grind his wife and sons down.
August: Osage County
Meryl Streep and Julia Robert’s much-anticipated 2013 family drama came and went in a somewhat bathetic flourish, but its killer performances live on. Following the funeral of Johnna Monevata (Misty Upham)’s husband Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard), his loved ones congregate for a consolatory meal. Clocking in at a whopping 20 minutes, this tense scene is widely considered to be the centre point of an otherwise lacklustre film.
Hannah and Her Sisters
Woody Allen’s much-loved film chronicles the story of an extended family, bookended by Thanksgiving dinners two years apart from each other. The following scene sees failed actress Holly (played by Dianne Wiest) asking her sister Hannah (Mia Farrow) for a second loan over dinner, in a bid to put her acting days behind her and suddenly embark on a career in writing. Allen captures the tension perfectly, slowly winding his lens around the table, as the dinner guests try to keep the heated dinner discussion from spiralling out of control.
Citizen Kane
In a film that needs no introduction, Orson Welles uses a montage of stiflingly well-mannered breakfast scenes to track the deterioration of Charles and Emily Kane’s marriage. With each meal comes a more heightened sense of discomfort, as the couple become increasingly emotionally and physically distant from one another.
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