Guest of Honour

Thanks to confident direction, twisty storytelling, and a commanding lead performance by David Thewlis, Guest of Honour provides a major rebound for Atom Egoyan after the eye-rolling schlock of Remember.

The gorgeous-looking film centers on Veronica (Laysla De Oliveira, Locke & Key) in present day Toronto, sitting down with Father Greg (Luke Wilson) to discuss funeral arrangements for her father Jim (Thewlis) — but really solving the mystery of why a non-churchgoer would want to have a religious service.

To find the answer, Egoyan intelligently jumps between four developed timelines (and scattered other memories) with ease, weaving between Jim in his intriguing work as a food inspector and 16 years earlier when Veronica was a child. Also in the mix is her work as a seemingly new high school band director, during which she winds up in jail, not for a crime she committed as an adult, but something she believes she’s guilty of from her own teenage days.

Echoing Egoyan’s greatest hit, The Sweet Hereafter, solid drama arises from a bus driver’s actions as Mike (Rossif Sutherland, Covert Affairs), miffed at Veronica’s disinterest in him, attempts to sully her reputation by making it look like she’s sexually involved with handsome student Clive (Alexandre Bourgeois, Departure).

Untangling the justification for Veronica seeking institutional atonement, as well as Jim’s efforts to clear her good name, is a treat for viewers as Egoyan reveals precisely how these memories inform one another on the way to a complex but convincing truth. (Hint: it’s somehow not over embarrassment for her silly, unorthodox conducting style.)

Key to the journey’s engaging nature is Thewlis, who’s his usual delight to watch and, clearly thrilled to be back in a leading role, exudes a captivating presence from his first scene. But as fun as it is to tag along with Jim on his kitchen examinations — and, thanks to Thewlis, the mundane truly becomes exciting — Guest of Honour features some of the same tonal aberrations that sunk Remember and Egoyan’s 2009 thriller, Chloe.

Considering Jim’s loner status, his long climactic speech feels too bold of a move, though him reaching somewhat of an emotional breaking point is indeed plausible. And while his final encounter with Veronica’s pet rabbit Benjamin is about as awkward as a situation can get, it nevertheless captures a particular kind of honest, messy grief.

Along the way, and especially at those two junctures, Guest of Honour may feel like an odd story to tell, but once all the pieces are in place, its exploration of guilt, loyalty, forgiveness, and acceptance add up to something close to wonderful.

Grade: B-plus. Not rated but with adult themes and language. Available to rent via independent theaters across the U.S.

(Photo: Kino Lorber)