Eating

Helene Bradley hosts her 40th birthday party at her Los Angeles home. Friends Sadie and Kate join her to celebrate their milestone birthdays, with Sadie approaching 50 and Kate recently reaching 30. The atmosphere is filled with excitement and anticipation as the women gather together.

Martine, a French filmmaker, decides to document the party for a television project. She engages by asking the group about their relationships with food, setting the tone for a series of revealing discussions that will unfold throughout the celebration.

To gain insight into her upcoming year, Helene performs a Tarot card reading. This moment sets off a chain of reflections about her life, particularly concerning her husband, Frank, and the theme of escaping on birthdays.

As the party kicks off, more guests arrive bringing gifts and sharing food. They engage in light-hearted banter about aging, relationships, and bodily insecurities, creating a lively yet vulnerable atmosphere among the women.

Sadie expresses her frustrations with aging and her complicated emotions surrounding her daughter's youth and beauty. The candid discussion amongst the women reveals insecurities about body image and societal expectations.

Whitney, Helene's mother, offers her perspective on women’s insecurities, expressing confusion about why attractive and successful women obsess over food and appearance. She seeks to understand the behavioral patterns of women amidst a celebratory setting.

When the birthday cakes are presented, rather than indulging, the women pass them around without eating. This act symbolizes deeper emotional struggles, as Whitney enjoys her slice while many others refrain due to their insecurities.

Later, various women open up to Martine's camera about their relationships with food and their pasts. They reveal how food has often served as a substitute for love, pointing to deeper emotional scars linked to their experiences.

Helene receives a phone call from Frank, informing her that he won't make it home as promised. This revelation shatters Helene and paves the way for revelations about his unfaithfulness and the brewing tensions of the party.

As the party progresses, rumors about Frank's supposed affair surface. One guest outright shares that she had an affair with him years ago, igniting further anxiety and speculation about his current behavior at the celebration.

The tension culminates when Helene confronts various guests, accusing them of being involved with Frank. Emotional turmoil spills over, leading to distressing moments, including Sophie being found in the bathroom after her own struggles with jealousy.

As the night draws to a close, Helene begins to embrace her new reality as a woman alone. With a mix of fear and excitement, she expresses her resolve to move forward despite the uncertainty of her future without Frank.

Martine reflects on her own solitary existence and her readiness to seek a more meaningful relationship. This exchange with Helene offers a poignant contrast between their differing experiences with love and loneliness.

As guests begin to leave, the party concludes with a mixture of relief and disappointment. The festivities seem to symbolize the end of an era for Helene, highlighting the complexities of aging and relationships among the women.