Drama Movie The Birthday Party, the Plot

The Birthday Party is the drama movie coming out. The plot is set in the late seventies on a Mediterranean island: Marcos Timoleon (Willem Dafoe) is a magnate who organizes a sumptuous birthday party for his daughter Sofia (Vic Carmen Sonne), sole heir to his empire. The celebration becomes the perfect pretext for various characters in his life to approach with their own personal requests.

Marcos, accustomed to ruthlessly controlling everything and everyone around him at any cost, is planning an important decision on behalf of his daughter. Sofia, however, has arrived to share important news. As guests begin to flow in and night falls, the party becomes increasingly wild and decadent, with the inevitable clash between Marcos and Sofia reaching its climax.

Trailer of the Movie The Birthday Party

"Welcome to my island" says Marcos Timoleon in the released trailer. "You and only you will be the proof of my existence" he refers to the guests. "They already made a movie about me"; "you mean The Godfather" responds Ian Forster (Joe Cole).

Cast of The Birthday Party: Willem Dafoe, Vic Carmen Sonne and Joe Cole

Willem Dafoe has recently worked in Poor Things!, Late Fame and Time Out. Vic Carmen Sonne appeared in The Girl with the Needle, presented at the 2024 Cannes Festival and nominated for the Oscars as Best International Movie.

Joe Cole participated in the TV series Gangs of London and in the movie A Prayer Before Dawn. Emma Suárez is also present, who has recently worked on Fragmentos and Parecido a un asesinado.

Direction, Original Novel and Release of The Birthday Party

The direction is by Miguel Ángel Jiménez, who previously directed Una ventana al mar and The Nightwatch: the screenplay is an adaptation of the 2007 eponymous novel by Greek writer Panos Karnezis.

The production is by Heretic and Lemming Film. The movie was shot entirely in Greece, with locations in Corfu and Athens. It debuted at the Locarno Festival in August 2025, and is released in the United States on June 5, 2026.