Review of The Gift (2015) by Shannon L — 11 Apr 2017

Had high hopes, based on great reviews, but was disappointed after watching a streaming copy of this film. Lots of small, building suspense moments, with only mediocre results (did he kill the dog? I THINK HE KILLED THE DOG! EEEK--no wait, the dog's fine). JB does a great job with what he's given, but character development seemed lacking--hey, he's a good guy, still a good guy, then POOF! NO, he's a horrible guy. Supposedly smart, but doesn't remember/realize he'd messed up Edgerton's life (Ohhh, that? Was that bad?) Or, you know, never asking after a four hour dinner, what the man does for a living. That sort of thing.

Not familiar with Edgerton's other work, his Gordo was surprisingly sympathetic, but the character doesnt live up to the creepy/sinister level implied, which makes the reveal at the end feel foreign and awkward. With what he gave himself to work with, as writer and director, he accomplishes really well, so another plus from me.

I love Rebecca Hall, and she doesn't disappoint here. Quiet, understated, with no hint of hysteria, she adds another positive slant here. There's barely a hint of 'OMG girl, why did/didn't you just....".

Overall, the acting stands out here, as does Edgerton's directing, but his overall story just didn't do it for me, based on the hype it received. I *will* say the twist ending came almost out of nowhere for me, which is rare, but not to diminish the horrible-ness of the action, if the idea of "who could be the one" was also meant to be part of the psychological revenge (?), since that's easily determined it seemed sort of like a "duh" and not an "OMG.".