Naman Shrestha
With Nanea Miyata taking on the responsibility of helming, Lifetime’s ‘A Party to Die For’ is a crime thriller movie that follows an ambitious young woman named Sadie who leaves behind her unpleasant past and moves to Los Angeles to become a successful socialite. Moving up in the social food chain, she begins dating the charming Owen, the owner of a nightclub, and befriends a fun yet reckless daughter, Jessica, of a Vegas tycoon. One night when Owen travels out of town, Sadie makes the most of the situation and throws a party at his house inviting a lively group of club-goers.
After the fun night ends, Sadie is awakened by Jessica, asking for her help in disposing of a body. The two women get rid of it to cover their tracks while Sadie contemplates leaving behind the luxurious life and Owen. But now that Jessica has a secret to hold over Sadie, the former forces her to stay. Consequently, Sadie becomes one of the prime suspects while people in her life are put in danger, including Owen. As if dealing with Jessica was not enough, Sadie must also face her real self during all this commotion. Given so many intricate themes and elements, including blackmailing, deceit, and murder, that are not uncommon in real life, one is bound to wonder about the movie’s authenticity.
A Party to Die For is Inspired by True Events
Yes, ‘A Party to Die For’ is inspired by real-life events. Apart from directing, Nanea Miyata is also responsible for penning the enthralling yet realistic screenplay for the Lifetime film. Given her experience in writing thrillers, such as ‘Secrets of an Escort‘ and ‘Dead in the Water,’ and her creative mind, she was able to weave the gripping tale rather easily. The realistic themes of murder, blackmail, and getting rid of the body are displayed through the complex plot and characters, as many such cases have been heard of in real life.
For instance, in June 2021, 35-year-old Kenneth Kinsey killed a 31-year-old man named Bobby Fort Jr. during a party in Syracuse’s South Side. For the crime, the jury convicted the accused of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Not only such instances have happened in reality, but they are also quite common in the realm of movies and TV shows. The 2017 Scarlett Johansson starrer ‘Rough Night’ happens to be one of the aptest examples.
Helmed by Lucia Aniello, the comedy thriller movie revolves around Jess and her group of friends who reunite for the celebratory party of her upcoming wedding. But what was supposed to be a fun night turns into something horrific and unexpected when they accidentally murder the male stripper they had hired for the night. Although ‘Rough Night’ is lighter and includes comic elements here and there, it follows a similar storyline as that of the Lifetime film while highlighting the predominant theme of an unexpected murder. Considering all the above-mentioned things, it would be safe to say that ‘Rough Night’ is rooted in reality as it draws inspiration from some real-life occurrences.
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