The official plot summary: A group of awful idiots fail at throwing a party over and over.
That plot is true to a point, but the film really is not about the "party" or even the food drive of the title. It is about a group of five young people who are very socially awkward and insecure, and have trust issues with each other. The girlfriend does not trust her boyfriend. The face of a local restaurant does not trust her partner. It is a mess. And this awkwardness makes everything funny. Not in a laugh-out-loud way, but in a strange, almost Wes Anderson sort of way.
One of the most bizarre things is how, whether intentional or not, the film is overflowing with sexual tension. There are instances that seem like lesbian love scenes but are not. And there is one scene where the audience might be lead to believe that two men will kiss or maybe even an orgy will break out. (It does not.) The tension is so thick it is hard to tell where the friendships end and the infatuation begins.
"Neighborhood Food Drive" was screened March 25 at the Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF). This is not the sort of film that gets a wide release, but if you are lucky enough to have a festival or artsy theater near you, it may come your way. This is the sort of thing I could see being picked up for distribution by Oscilloscope.
