‘Dare you open?’
The Gift is a 2015 Australian-American psychological thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Joel Edgerton for Blumhouse Productions and Blue-Tongue Films.
The movie stars Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, and Edgerton himself.
The film was released on August 7, 2015, and took $45.1 million at the box office.
Plot:
Simon and Robyn are a young married couple whose life is going just as planned until a chance encounter with an acquaintance of Simon’s from high school sends their world into a tailspin. Simon does not recognise Gordo at first, but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a terrible secret from their past is uncovered. As Robyn learns the truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she begins questioning how well she really knows her husband…
Reviews:
“The Gift spends most of its timekeeping us guessing, but jumps wholeheartedly into a horrible, spine-tinglingly exhilarating climax. Edgerton lays on the tension – those windows really grate on your nerves – expertly delivering the old-school jumpy moments.” Time Out
“Bateman gives a fine performance, swiftly and easily turning up and down the sinister edge on his smooth charm. But while the film seems to focus on Hall and Bateman, the true star of “The Gift” is Edgerton as director. His deft, controlled maneuvering of plot, character, style, and tone is damn near perfect for his feature debut — even if it is in service of a very standard genre piece.” Indiewire
“The Gift is one of those rare movies that doesn’t really work at all but keeps you watching as the mistakes and bad calls keep piling up. You want to see where it goes, you want to see if it can pull out of the dive.” Norman Wilner, NOW Toronto
“Using yet another of his cleverly constructed scripts as a blueprint, Edgerton has crafted a ripping mainstream thriller that will only enhance his reputation as one of this country’s finest cinematic talents.” Leigh Paatsch, Herald Sun
Cast and Characters:
Jason Bateman … Simon
Rebecca Hall … Robyn
Joel Edgerton … Gordo
Tim Griffin … Kevin ‘KK’ Keelor
Allison Tolman … Lucy
Beau Knapp … Detective Walker
Original title:
Weirdo
