Based on a short story by Neil Gaiman, How to Talk to Girls at Parties isn’t, you’ll be sorry to hear, an educational tool for us awkward types but is as wonderfully bizarre and colourful as we’d expect and hope for from the creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Enn (Sharp) is a typical rebellious seventies kid. Into punk music, draws his own fanzine and hangs about with his equally outcast friends – Vic (Abraham Lewis) and John (Ethan Lawrence) – in Croydon; dreaming of bigger things and, more importantly, girls. Fears that this could turn a little too much like The Inbetweeners subside when the trio come across what they think is an after-party in a large suburban house.
Confronted by what they assume are American tourists, they are drawn into an outlandish world or avant-garde music, gymnastic-like dances, and (to Vic’s initial distress) anal probing. Yep, they have found an alien colony, made up of several factions who are preparing for ‘the eating’, which isn’t a trip to the local Chinese buffet (although they do have a hilarious stop-off at a Wimpy), but something much more sinister.
It’s not that these aliens are malevolent, it’s just their tradition. One member, Zan (Fanning) is intrigued by Enn (Henry to his mother) and his talk of ‘the punk’ and is allowed 48 hours to experience it. Over that time, she begins to familiarise herself with human ways and start to doubt her upbringing.
Along the way, we meet Queen Boadicea (Kidman), a Westwood/McLean figure who manages the local band and is the magnet for all things punk in Croydon, who (much like everyone else) takes a shine to Zan and puts her on stage to front the band for a night. We see less of the infamous punk excess and more of self-discovery and acceptance as the story develops, and although many things are handled with humour – and are genuinely laugh out loud funny – it never takes an obvious route and is constantly surprising. A character’s awakening to his sexuality is handled particularly well.
As our literal star-crossed lovers, Fanning and Sharpe are superb. The latter is endearingly awkward and the former is radiant – all doe-eyed and brilliantly naïve. Watching her discover the normal things for the first time (“I’ve eaten pancakes and am now excreting them”) is a delight and the reactions of others (particularly Enn’s mother) is a charm.
Starting out as though it could develop into a bawdy comedy, it soon matures into a rather deep and emotional rollercoaster as the story takes a turn into Romeo and Juliet/West Side Story territory, but never fails to amuse and entertain. The underlining message of not blindly following tradition or pack mentality is suitably apt for the current climate and will hopefully not be lost on the audience. It says a lot about the parental role, too. From Enn’s absent father to the parent-teachers of the alien colonies, and how much their choices and decisions can affect the lives of the children and the lamenting of not having them by punk matriarch Boadicea.
Some of the visuals may baffle casual viewers, veering, as we do, into coloured lights and dancing orbs, and the fact it deliberately doesn’t play into any specific genre mode. but is very rewarding for those in the right frame of mind and is destined to be a cult classic of the future. Just like the director’s other work.
HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL / SCREENPLAY: PHILIPPA GOSLETT, JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL / STARRING: ELLE FANNING, ALEX SHARP, NICOLE KIDMAN, RUTH WILSON, TOM BROOKE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
