He keeps the narrative tight and his characters all move with purpose. I was actually surprised when I learned about Byrkit’s method. Sometimes, films that use lots of improv can come across as sloppy or unfocused. This is a testament to the skill of the cast. However, it generally feels quite authentic and naturalistic. This creates a situation where performers are talking over each other, there are background conversations going on, etc. As such, much of the dialog is improvised. During the five-day shoot, the actors were given a sheet of paper each day that contained some guidelines and motivations which they were not allowed to reveal to their comrades. He’s credited as the writer and receives a story credit along with Manugian, but no script was used while shooting the film. If they can’t set things right before the end of the night, they begin to suspect that it might spell their doom.īyrkit took an unusual approach to the scripting. Hugh’s revelation that his quantum physicist brother recently warned him about the comet in a cryptic manner raises everyone’s hackles but allows them to slowly piece together what is happening. Most of the crew has fun with the idea until the power goes out and a mysterious house appears down the road.
The conversation soon turns to the comet, with Em relating some strange incidences that have coincided with the appearances of comets in the past. Additional dinner guests include the new age-y Beth (Elizabeth Gracen) and her husband Hugh (Hugo Armstrong). More friction arrives in the form of Laurie (Lauren Maher), Kevin’s ex who is now dating Amir (Alex Manugian who also co-produced and co-wrote the story with Byrkit). Em’s boyfriend Kevin (Maury Sterling) wants her to accompany him to Vietnam for his job, but she’s not sure if she can drop everything and make the trip, which has created some tension in the relationship. While a comet passes overhead, a group of eight friends reunites for dinner at the suburban Los Angeles home of Mike (Nicholas Brendon of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) and Lee (Lorene Scafaria). Though it’s an ensemble cast, I think it’s fair to say that our lead is Em (Emily Baldoni credited as “Emily Foxler”).
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