"Good people deserve good things."
Anyone say or do anything bad in high school?
Well you may just regret it after seeing 'The Gift'...
After meeting an old acquaintance from high school, Simon and his wife Robyn are forced to deal with the past as they receive mysterious and unsettling gifts from Gordo "The weirdo".
After discovering that this film was produced by Blumhouse Productions, the production company behind pretty much most of the horrendous horror films of late ('Unfriended', 'Insidious: Chapter 3' and the 'Paranormal Activity' sequels), I was anxious to say the least. Despite this, 'The Gift' has renewed my faith in their decisions and proved that 'Sinister' was not just a one off.
The film starts off well with a curious set up. Gordo imposes himself on Simon and Robyn and intrudes on their life but, being polite people, they put up with his advances as their "friend". You can tell from the get go that this is going to be an uncomfortable psychological film and it doesn't disappoint.
Having only ever seen Jason Bateman in comedic roles, I was surprised to see that he was displaying some serious acting chops as Simon in this movie. He starts off with one layer to his character but, as the film progresses, there are more and more levels to his performance that develop a really interesting and believable character. I would love to see him do more roles like this one if this is where his next career step is heading.
The whole film feels reminiscent of classic films like 'Cape Fear' and 'Sleeping with the enemy'. There's an uncomfortable air of tension in the film that mainly comes from Joel Edgerton as Gordo, who also wrote and directed the film himself. You can never quite tell what is going to happen or what he's going to do next, he's socially awkward and it makes the other characters (and the audience) uncomfortable. You genuinely believe that he's an unstable guy who could be a threat to this young couple. Much like Simon, Gordo has an exterior shell that, once you chip away at it, reveals a whole new character with depth and life in him.
I think this is what I enjoyed most about 'The Gift', the fact that all of the characters are believable as human beings rather than just characters in a generic thriller. They react like normal people would and have secrets like normal people do. Life isn't black and white and that's what is expressed through the characters and the plot in 'The Gift'. It deals with a grey area in the human psyche as you begin to see the flaws come to light as the cracks appear in the characters.
It is a refreshing story that is told in a way that we aren't used to in modern cinema. Everything isn't wrapped up nicely and you have to work to put the pieces together throughout. It's a mystery that keeps us guessing and doesn't follow most conventions. It's a simple plot but sometimes less is more when dealing with a mystery thriller, it keeps us focussed on the details rather than a large and overblown plot.
The stakes are raised for this young couple as their relationship and their lives disintegrate. They are likeable enough to care for yet we don't fully trust them. This makes for some great tension and threat. The danger of the film doesn't come from a masked killer or a demonic possession, it comes from a place that is altogether human and very close to home for the audience. It creates a claustrophobic atmosphere because most of the film is set in their new home, the characters are like caged animals and you are just waiting for them to snap. We can relate to both the protagonist and the antagonist, which is a scary prospect in itself. It explores themes and ideas that are very human and emotions that we deal with everyday.
Secrets, secrets and even more secrets...
It is a well thought out and well paced film. It gives us enough information at the beginning to hook our curiosity so that it can start with a slow build up. Just when the film feels like it might be lagging, there is an event that ups the ante and keeps you guessing. It ends when it should end and leaves us with a lot of unanswered questions which is great.
Overall I think that 'The Gift' is a clever and psychological film that goes the extra mile for the audience. It could have taken the easy way and become a bland and predictable thriller but it does its best to elevate itself from what has become a bit of a stale genre.
I think I might avoid the high school reunions in the future... Just in case.
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