One of the most challenging aspects of adulthood is realizing that the path you set out on was never as straightforward as it seemed. Similar to a treasure hunter following a map filled with many unmarked peaks and valleys, navigating responsibilities and the unpredictable nature of life can be difficult.

The pressures that come with traversing the constantly shifting landscapes of adulthood can also cause the once sturdy tentpoles of friendship to bow. In her much-anticipated feature debut Dinner with Friends, filmmaker Sasha Leigh Henry uses a series of dinners among friends to explore how everyday people cope with the pressures of life. Building on the promise displayed in her short film Sinking Ship, and her wonderful and criminally underrated series Bria Mack Gets a Life, Henry proves she is one of the exciting voices in cinema when it comes to capturing the pulse of her generation.

Realizing it has been a while since they have connected with their group chat in person, married couple Joy (Tattiawna Jones) and Malachi (Alex Spencer) decide to reignite the monthly dinners they used to have with their friends. Joy is initially hesitant about the idea as it is a lot of work to plan, and hosting duties always fall on her shoulders. There is also the fact that the couple is dealing with the marital stresses that come with having careers and raising young children. Unbeknownst to the pair, they are not the only ones who are going through their share of problems.

Joy’s best friend Evie (Rakhee Morzaria) has been navigating her loneliness and relationship woes ever since her former love Tristan (Andrew Bushell) mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Tristian’s decision to leave also put additional strain on his sister Kat (Tymika Tafari) who has had to put her life on hold to care for their ailing mother. Similar to Kat, Paul (Izaak Smith) finds himself stuck in a rut and unable to move out of his cramped apartment. A new place would provide an opportunity for him to spend more time with his teenage son. The only ones who seem, at least on the surface, to have things together are Ty (Michael Ayres) and his partner Josh (Leighton Alexander Williams), however, their free-wheeling lifestyle can only last for so long. They must come to terms with whether life in the city is truly liberating or painfully suffocating.

Reconnecting at Joy and Malachi’s for the first time in a while, it does not take long for tensions to run high in the group when Tristan makes a surprise appearance. As they all meet over subsequent gatherings, inside jokes and shocking revelations collide with long-festering resentment and an uncertain future.

Masterfully merging real-life drama with the mundane aspects of life, Henry weaves an engaging and immensely relatable cinematic quilt. Her characters feel like individuals the audience will recognize from their own lives. Whether it is the frustration and anger that comes with being a caregiver for a parent who refuses to acknowledge your contributions, or the ways providing for dependants can cause one to pursue financial security over happiness, the film never offers a false moment. If there is one minor quibble to be had, it is that the film works hard to achieve an ending that is a tad too optimistic.

Dinner with Friends is most riveting when wading through the thick mud of emotions and personas. Anchored by a riveting script, where the conversations are packed with plenty of humour and hard truths, each new dinner offers new surprises and delicate minefields for characters to navigate. While Henry has always shown a gift when it comes to dialogue, her growth as a visual storyteller is evident here.

A perfect example of this comes in the middle of the film when she uses a perpetually rotating camera to not only reveal who has shown up for the meal, but also the shifting emotions in the room. One only needs to see a quick glimpse of Kat’s face to understand the immense hurt swelling inside her in that moment.

Letting the uncomfortable tension sit in the air, Henry understands that not every emotional wound can be stitched over the course of one meal. Thanks to the stellar performances by the ensemble cast, the moments of pain and joy resonate because they feel real.

A riveting slice of everyday life, Dinner with Friends is an engaging and honest look at friendships and the burden of adulthood. This is a group chat you’ll want to be in.

Dinner with Friends screened as part of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Head here to get all our That Shelf TIFF coverage.