The Coffee Table follows Jesus and Maria, a couple going through a difficult time in their relationship. Nevertheless, they have just become parents. To shape their new life, they decide to buy a new coffee table. A decision that will change their existence.
The movie had a busy festival schedule, with screenings at Fantaspoa – International Fantastic Film Festival, Macabro – Festival Internacional de Cine de la Ciudad de México, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, where it won the White Raven award, and a World Premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it won Best Film in the ‘Rebels with a Cause’ section.
And the awards were definitely well deserved. What a terribly heart wrenching tale of sorrow. While the term “emotional rollercoaster” gets thrown around recurrently, it rarely fits as well as it does for The Coffee Table. I can confidently say—without as much as a flinch—that this was the most realistic horror film that I have ever seen.
The frustrating part about this review is that dipping any toes into the main plot of the film really would spoil the whole experience. The main events take place pretty early on and most of the film deals with the fallout thereof. There is a secondary theme of pedophilia and blackmail that is only partially answered within the film’s runtime and it is an element that—to some—may have seemed completely unnecessary.
Personally, I enjoyed the layering of one evil upon another as even though they may have been unrelated themes, I’ve seen false accusation and questionable motives be the downfall of many an educator in my numerous years in academia. It added another dimension to a film that needed a little distraction from the main plot, and for good reason.
The film’s only fault is that it could very well have been a short film; or at least a shorter one. The Coffee Table is one continuous reaction to this titular table and the events it kickstarts. Without adding a little more substance to chew through, the content could have come across as a bit watered down. Sure, everything is great and hits hard but we can only wait so long for resolution before the tension becomes tiresome.
Luckily, that is not the case. The Coffee Table eventually culminates into the most mind-bending final act that—although predictable—manages to really unhinge even the most hard-hearted of horror fans. We all know, throughout the journey, that the finale is going to hit hard. Hell, the whole film is a slow burn creeping gingerly towards one penultimate moment that we know we cannot evade. It’s like a bloody train-wreck and although we know we should look away, we simply cannot.
The limited theatrical run of The Coffee Table will kick off on April 19 at Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles, with stops in New York, Austin, and Chicago before it travels to other screens. May 14th will see the release of the movie on DVD and VOD. Grab it when you can; it is well worth your time. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. The trailer and artwork are below.
