The Invite

Joe teaches music at a conservatory in San Francisco and has lost all motivation for his job. He lives with his wife Angela and their 12-year-old daughter in a large apartment inherited from Joe's parents. Married for nearly twenty years, their relationship has become tense and they're constantly in disagreement. After another meaningless day at work, Joe rides home on his folding bike, arriving exhausted and with a sharp backache. Angela tells him that they're having their upstairs neighbors, Hawk and Pína, over for dinner—a plan they've been talking about for nearly six months—and that he was supposed to buy the wine for the occasion. Joe tries to negotiate canceling the evening altogether, but Angela won't budge because she spent the day preparing the meal and tidying up the apartment.