This wild Australian debut feature is a study in how quickly a few beers and some laughs can turn into a surreal ute-ride to hell. Irene (Shabana Azeez) and Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) are a seemingly happy (if somewhat codependent) young couple engaged to be married, who decide that the best way to quell Irene's anxiety about their upcoming wedding is for her to accompany Louie on his buck's night celebrations at a remote house in the bush. The crew is mostly comprised of Louie's friends, including volatile "yeah the boys" mate Dylan, and an old pal of Irene's, Sam. Dylan is less than thrilled about losing another lad to marriage, but his plan for a last hurrah—including an exotic dancer, public airing of grievances and a whole lot of partying—will set the group on a dangerous path revealing some painful truths about the nature of Irene and Louie's relationship.

Directors Jim Weir and Jack Clark have crafted a nauseating night of despicable vibes and some truly feral sequences unpicking the ways a group can simultaneously tear itself apart while protecting itself against the Other. "It's a bit like Wake in Fright" gets tossed around about Oz thrillers far too often, but despite the obvious comparisons deconstructing drinking/pingas culture what Birdeater taps into is something a little deeper than most: the simmering resentment and cruelty beneath a facade of mateship that transcends class divides, where taking the piss is a knife-edge away from something much darker.