Review of Coherence (2014) by Spangle — 16 Sep 2016

I...what. Coherence is a mindbending science fiction film that will toss your brain for loops as more and more absurd things keep occuring and are to be expected. When things keep progressing and getting worse, it becomes even more and mindbending and now my brain hurts. Coherence turned my mind into mush. Yet, it is oddly coherent and makes sense. Even if it is beyond explanation, it never leaves the grasp of director James Ward Byrkit. Instead, it is an audacious directorial debut for Byrkit that should hopefully propel him to handling bigger and, ideally, even more original films.

Incredibly original, it is hard to think of a comparison for Coherence. Some have cited the influence of The Twilight Zone and from what I have heard about that show, it probably makes sense. However, in terms of film, Coherence largely stands alone. Showing the events of a dinner party during the passing of a comet, Coherence is a film that really messes with your mind from beginning to end and forces you to keep up with it. Fortunately, Byrkit avoids any unnecessary exposition, which really helps to add to the atmosphere. This confused and lost party and their fear is matched by the audience as we try to piece things along with them. Byrkit could have lost their confusion if he kept stopping to explain everything. Instead, he pushes the pedal to the metal and plunges forward.

Featuring a largely unknown cast, Coherence is not necessarily a film about its characters. That said, the acting across the board is solid. Plus, the writing of the characters is solid. Nothing extraordinary, nor are they incredibly deep, but their pasts and their stories are important as the film progresses. For them, it is the key to knowing where and who they are.

More than anything, Coherence shows serious ambition. For this to be Byrkit's debut is an absolute wonder. It is not perfect by any means and probably gets too caught up in philosophy and quantum physics to be truly accessible or perfect. That said, a more experienced director would have problems keeping this one under wraps and having it somehow stay coherent. Instead, many would let the film got bogged down within itself and make no sense in the end. For Byrkit, however, things remain oddly linear. Who we are watching is unbeknownst to us, yet everything is the same and the viewer is able to follow the plot without nary a hitch. As Byrkit adds more and more layers to this film, things remain within our grasp and the film never feels like it is too much. It never feels silly. Instead, this air of paranoia and confusion runs rampant and truly arrests the viewer.

Showcasing serious potential for James Ward Byrkit in the director's chair, this mindbending film is a terrifying, atmospheric, somehow coherent, and truly original science fiction film. It is a rarity nowadays to say that, but it is the absolute truth. In creating this original film, Byrkit was incredibly ambitious and trusting of his audience to follow him wherever he opted to go. The end result is a truly engrossing experience that - for lovers of science fiction - will pay off in spades.