The Gift

Very few movies have the ability to surprise me with their plot, but The Gift surprised me greatly.  This is a tense feature directorial debut of actor Joel Edgerton (who also wrote the screenplay, and co-stars in the film), and it shows that he not only has the ability to build tension, but also genuinely throw his audience for a loop.  This is a movie that pulls the rug out from under us in the best way.  It starts out effective but predictable, and about halfway through, turns into something truly exciting.

The basic idea behind the film is essentially one of those "...From Hell" movies that were popular back in the 80s and 90s.  You remember the "...From Hell" genre.  It usually concerned some nice, well to do married couple who let somebody into their life, and then that somebody turned out to be the "such and such" From Hell, who became bent on destroying their lives and happiness.  We had the One Night Stand From Hell (Fatal Attraction), the Nanny From Hell (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) and even the Apartment Tenant From Hell (Pacific Heights).  The Gift gives us the Forgotten High School Acquaintance From Hell.  This is the role that Edgerton has written for himself.  He plays Gordo, who back in school was known as "Gordo the Weirdo".  We can see why.  He's socially awkward, seems to show up at a moment's notice, and likes to leave potentially kind, but somewhat creepy, packages on the front door of the people he's currently obsessed with.  Edgerton plays him as a man who seems to be trying to reach out, but just doesn't know how.  Or maybe he has an ulterior motive.  He sure does seem to hang around the house of his victims a lot, and knows stuff about them that he shouldn't.

The victims are a bright and happy married couple named Simon (Jason Bateman, giving the best performance I've seen him give) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall).  They've just moved to California from Chicago, and are looking forward to starting their life together.  Or maybe they're trying to start their lives over.  The movie drops hints at some past troubles in their relationship early on. (While Robyn is unpacking, she takes out a mobile for a baby, even though they don't have a child.) Simon has a nice job at a successful company, and seems to be on the fast track for a promotion.  Robyn stays at home, but talks about finding work for herself.  It is while they are shopping for home supplies that they have a run in with Gordo, who apparently knew Simon very well back in high school, but Simon does not seem to remember him very well.  Oh, he remembers knowing him, but he doesn't seem too keen on reconnecting.  Robyn, however, invites Gordo inside the home when he drops by a few days later, looking for Simon.  She invites him to stay for dinner, which Simon is obviously uncomfortable with, since he has to spend the night awkwardly catching up with a guy he has no interest in.

Simon thinks this dinner date will be the end of it, but then Gordo keeps on showing up at their house.  He also leaves gifts for them at their home, which start out small (a bottle of wine on their front step), but quickly grow more elaborate (helping out around the house, and adding fish to the pond outside the house).  Eventually, Simon decides he's had enough, and flat-out tells the guy that he wants nothing to do with him, From that point on, Gordo's unannounced visits start to become a lot more ominous.  It gets to the point that Robyn, who is home by herself while her husband works, is haunted by nightmarish visions of the guy lurking about the house while she's alone.  This is all fairly routine stuff for a thriller, though it is handled well for the most part.  The only thing that irritated me is how the movie relies on cheap jump scares during the moments Robyn is in the house afraid.

But then, something happens, and The Gift becomes a completely different movie just when we think we've figured it out, and are certain it's going down a predictable route.  I frankly was caught completely off guard.  I'm going to have to be very vague here at the risk of spoiling things, but the direction that Edgerton's screenplay goes is a very dark and disturbing one that turns everything on its head.  This is definitely one of those movies you want to know little to nothing about before you see it.  If anyone tries to talk to you about this movie before you see it, find a way to steer the subject of conversation to something else.  What Edgerton does here is lull his audience into a state of comfort during the first half of the film.  He plays by the rules, he knows the beats of the genre, and he knows how to effectively strike them.  But then, about an hour into the film, he starts to steer the narrative into a new direction, and we're not just involved, we're excited.  I actually found myself on the edge of my seat a little as the plot was revealed.

Even when I thought I knew exactly where the movie was going, I was still greatly enjoying the film thanks mostly to the performances.  I seriously don't think I have seen Jason Bateman give a better performance than here as the increasingly frenzied husband, Simon.  While mainly known for comedic roles, this is not his first shot at a dramatic part, but it is easily his best effort yet.  He's great at expressing the frustration his character feels as his life slowly but surely falls out of control all thanks to this man from his past that he wants to stay buried in his past.  Rebecca Hall, as his wife, makes for an effective and sympathetic victim during the first half of the film, but when the unexpected happens, her performance becomes something much stronger and more determined.  And Edgerton not only plays against our expectations with his script, but also with his performance.  What starts as a fairly typical mad slasher role gets a large number of layers by the end, and turns into an effective dramatic performance.

I can see The Gift becoming a word of mouth sleeper hit this summer, so hopefully you will see it before the plot becomes common knowledge.  I walked in completely cold, having only seen the trailers, and was not ready for what happened.  This is the best way to see the film, and I hope you will have a similar experience.

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