They say you should be wary of the people you allow into your home – there is a reason why many cultures have it embedded in their customs the standard practice to wait to be invited into someone’s dwelling before actually being able to step in, which some say has its roots in older folklore, where sinister beings could only invade the domestic space if they were granted permission, often indirectly. Over time, we’ve seen this principle adapted to the real world, particularly in the case of servants and other employees who work within some kind of servitude. Whether a butler, maid or any other domestic employee, something is fascinating about the idea of essentially handing over access to your home – a location that is sacred to most – and entrusting them with the responsibility to do their duty, and not meddle in the affairs of the household. From a distance, this is a bizarre practice that indicates that last vestiges of trust in our fellow human, since while in most cases this is a perfectly acceptable scenario that can function without much difficulty, it can occasionally cause some friction when there is a conflict between the employee and their employer, and there is even the potential for some peril to both parties. This is the foundation of Coup!, in which directors Joseph Schuman and Austin Stark tell the story of a wealthy family living in presumably New England or some similar location, comfortable in their stately manner on an island far from the hustle and bustle of urban centres. The patriarch is a well-known journalist with political aspirations, and his wife is a dedicated and supportive partner who assists in raising their children with a gaggle of household employees. However, they soon notice some significant changes with the arrival of Mr Monk, a vaguely sinister but interminably charismatic stranger who has been sent to serve as their new chef – and it doesn’t take long for it to become clear that he has very little interest in actually serving this family, preferring to distort the power dynamic in a way that starts very subtle, but eventually grows genuinely unsettling once his intentions are clear, leading to some outrageous conflict in this offbeat dark comedy.

The concept of the “upstairs-downstairs” drama has been around forever – there is an argument to be made that domestic servitude is one of the world’s oldest professions, since, whether slaves, servants or assistants, as long as people have yielded power, there has been a tendency to employ others to aid them in different forms. Coup! is set during a period that is inexplicably absent in a lot of stories, being situated in that ambiguous space between the end of the First World War and the start of the Roaring Twenties, the dust of the most devastating war in history up until that point having just settled, but the prosperity that was to come was still on the horizon (even though in hindsight we know how short-lived this would be) – some attribute this to the belief that very little of note happened during this time other than the Spanish Flu, a pandemic that had enormous impact on the global population. This disease is a central motif in the film, which uses it (amongst other elements) as a narrative tool, utilised to paint a portrait of this era and the people who resided within, following their efforts to maintain their complex lifestyle while realising that having wealth and power does not make one immune to disease. The character of Monk is a clear allegory for this disease, arriving unexpectedly and starting as a slightly inconvenient presence, but gradually infecting this household with his ill intentions, and where all efforts to remove him tend to fail, since once he has latched onto the host that is this family, finding a cure is almost impossible. This is perhaps a much deeper reading than the film may warrant, but it does prove that there is more going on beneath the surface than we may have initially imagined, with the simple premise lending itself to these kinds of unconventional interpretations that ultimately prove to have much more artistic resonance than we may have expected. Coup! Does its best not remind the viewer of the pandemic that we recently endured, but the directors do make some very clever references that show the connection between the two, which adds further nuance to a film that is sometimes quite unwieldy in terms of how it handles its themes.

The development of the characters in a film like Coup! can indicate the difference between success and failure – this is a film driven not only by its plot, but also how the actors choose to interpret it, and we find that there is a lot of emphasis in pushing these actors to deliver performances that are not one-dimensional, and encapsulate the rich, evocative nature of this material. Peter Sarsgaard and Billy Magnussen are the primary focus, and it’s a fantastic bit of subversion to cast them in roles opposite to what they would usually play, with Sarsgaard being the maniacal, eccentric villain with a penchant for stirring trouble, and Magnussen the straight-laced dandy who finds his worldview shattered through this unexpected introduction. They make a splendid pair, and they play off each other brilliantly, bringing out the best in their fellow actor and finding such incredible cohesion in these offbeat roles. Sarsgaard, in particular, is a highlight – his performance as Monk is such a delightful portrayal of pure evil, with everything from the broad characteristics to the simplest gestures being essential to our growing fascination with this character. He is someone who tends to flourish the most with strong, meaningful material, and this performance provides him with some of his best work to date. Special mention must go to the supporting cast, with Sarah Gadon being the voice of reason in the midst of all this madness, and theatre veteran Kristine Nielsen stealing every scene she is in as the patrician housekeeper who discovers the power she yields in this household is far more limited than she initially imagined. The power dynamic between the characters is expertly navigated throughout this film, which is a peculiar deconstruction of human traits such as envy, the lust for power and the depths to which we will descend to get what we want – and every one of these actors in this stellar ensemble contributes sufficiently to bringing these ideas to life and providing us with this nuanced, compelling glimpse into the past and its people.

The difference between good satire and the kind that defines an era is how willing it is to make its intentions clear without sacrificing its artistic integrity, and while it is not a perfect film or one that is entirely immune to the expected pratfalls, Coup! is a remarkably ambitious work, and manages to capture the spirit of the era so well, it begins to impact the narrative in positive and unexpected ways. Schuman and Stark are very audacious filmmakers, and as both writers and directors, they’ve shown an interest in several subjects and genres, so it’s not surprising that this film would contain some fascinating details that enrich it and make it so much more captivating in terms of its form. Coup! is designed to be a tribute to those small-scale but highly entertaining psychological thrillers of the Golden Age of Hollywood, where a single location was chosen, a rogues gallery of characters selected and a story constructed where each one of them plays a valuable role in this game of cat-and-mouse, battling for dominance as well as doing what they can to predict their opponent’s next move. This adherence to some very traditional qualities, combined with a few more contemporary techniques, makes this film an unexpectedly layered endeavour that feels genuinely captivating, even at its most simple. It also helps that the design of Coup! is exceptional – the directors work closely with the art direction and costume design departments to create this immediately striking environment – the house in which most of the story takes place is a labyrinth of luxury, and the refusal to immediately guide us through its many halls, and instead focus on allowing the house to become a character of its own that is gradually introduced as the film progresses, adds another layer of mystery. All of this, combined with the hilariously irreverent tone that becomes increasingly more sinister as it progresses, makes it a thoroughly entertaining film that contains many peculiar secrets, many of which we don’t notice until the very end.

A hilariously irreverent dark comedy with a genuine bleakness situated right at its heart, Coup! is a peculiar film, one that exemplifies something darker and more sinister about the human condition and its tendency to place too much trust in those we task with running our homes, showing the corruption that can occur when a single infective presence makes themselves known, gradually spreading amongst those who may have had good intentions at first, but gradually fall victim to the same sense of demanding more than they were given. Perhaps crafting an allegory between a pandemic that killed millions and workers demanding what they feel they deserve to the point of causing a rebellion is slightly tacky in theory, but it is executed brilliantly in this film, which proves to be an unexpectedly engaging affair that is as enthralling as it is deeply unnerving, the two working in tandem to create this delightfully irreverent dark comedy with a bleak core. Schuman and Stark are constantly attempting to leave their mark on the industry, and while nothing has quite stuck just yet, it’s likely that they will amass more attention for this effort, which is a far more entertaining endeavour than we would expect at a cursory glance. Bitingly funny but also filled with a rare kind of existential despair, Coup! has many terrific ideas, most of which tend to feel more authentic once we see them in practice, The ultimate goal of this film was to provoke thought, and it succeeds wholeheartedly, delivering a stellar satire that is as cold-blooded as it is genuinely engaging, a rare combination that is perfectly exemplified by this strange but enthralling film.