The Dinner

On a snowy evening, history teacher Paul Lohman and his wife Claire along with Paul's congressman brother Stan and his wife Katelyn meet up for an organized dinner at an expensive restaurant that Stan has booked for the four of them. Stan is accompanied by his aides: he is under some pressure as he is the front runner in a race for governor, as well as helming an important bill through the House on the subject of mental health. It transpires during the course of the film - organised under chapter headings following the stages of the meal - that the four are there to discuss an incident in which their children Michael and Rick verbally and physically harassed a homeless woman trying to sleep at an ATM kiosk leading to her death when Michael threw a lit match that set her sleeping bag on fire, killing her. A third boy, Beau, the adopted son of Stan and Barbara, Stan's ex-wife, left the scene before this occurred, but witnessed that this was an unprovoked attack.