Sally Potter opens her star-studded social satire with a frontal shot of a pistol barrel: The party can begin. The host is Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas), who wants to celebrate her appointment as a minister with close friends. But the evening unfolds differently than expected. With screwball comedy timing, the punchlines and twists come thick and fast, and soon love, friendships, political beliefs and lifestyles are up for discussion.

»Many of my favourite films ever made were in black and white, so it’s nice to feel that it’s part of that lineage. Somehow, it’s magical the fact that the brain can see things in a different way, but in an absolutely real way, in the abstract world of light and dark. And as the story was about extremes, I made the decision quite early on. (…)
In one sense, the entire film is a political comedy, a light and loving look at the state of England, a kind of broken England. But the film is more of a meditation on the notion that politics is everywhere, including in human relations. The most important thing is the language of truth- telling and the healing power of love in overcoming tragedy, but watch out if you’ve got a gun in the laundry basket.«
– Sally Potter