It follows a foodie and his date traveling to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu but reveals shocking surprises throughout the meal. The film had its world premiere at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, , and was theatrically released in the United States on November 18, , by Searchlight Pictures. Foodie Tyler Ledford and his date Margot Mills travel by boat to Hawthorn, an exclusive restaurant on a private island operated by celebrity chef Julian Slowik.
The other guests are food critic Lillian Bloom and her editor Ted; wealthy regulars Richard and Anne Leibrandt; washed-up movie star George Diaz [ a ] and his personal assistant Felicity Lynn; business partners Soren, Dave, and Bryce; and Slowik's alcoholic mother Linda. Dinner begins and Slowik introduces a series of courses, during which he delivers increasingly unsettling monologues.
For the third course, uncomfortable truths about each guest are exposed via images laser-printed on tortillas. During the fourth course, sous-chef Jeremy kills himself. When Richard tries to leave, the staff cuts off his left ring finger as a warning to stay. Unhappy with angel investor Doug Verrick's attempts to involve himself in Hawthorn's management, Slowik arranges for him to be drowned in front of the guests.
The fifth course commences with Slowik allowing himself to be stabbed by Katherine, an employee whom he had sexually harassed. The female guests dine with Katherine while the men are given the chance to escape the island via a game of cat-and-mouse, but Slowik's staff catches them all. When Lillian attempts to gain Katherine's favor by offering assistance in starting her own restaurant, Katherine reveals that she was the one who suggested killing the guests and staff.
Slowik explains that each guest was invited because they contributed to him losing his passion for his craft or because they make a living by exploiting the work of food artisans like him. He announces that everyone will be dead by the end of the night. Since Margot's presence was unplanned, Slowik privately gives her the choice of dying with the staff or the guests.
