Review of The Gift (2015) by Jesse O — 27 Feb 2016

It turns out that Joel Edgerton, on top of being a really talented actor, is also a pretty damn talented director. He's written several movies, including Felony, which I reviewed here. But, out of every film he's written that I've seen, which includes Felony, The Square and The Rover, all movies I really enjoyed, I think this would have to be his best.

I'm not saying that the aforementioned films didn't capture what he wanted the script to turn out like, I think him being in complete control over the direction of this movie, from the framing of the scenes, to the shots, etc added a little more of his imprint into this movie as opposed to the other films he's written, where he's leaving it up to the hands of another director to interpret his script.

I'm kinda excited to see where he goes as a filmmaker. The thing about the movie that I liked is that it genuinely does keep you guessing right until the very end. I don't know why I thought this, but part of me felt that the movie would've peaked early on.

Thankfully that is not the case, because they kept introducing newer and newer elements that revealed one more layer of what Simon's and Gordo's relationship was with each other when they were in their youth and how Simon, realistically, ruined Gordo's life by starting one malicious and hurtful rumor.

Another thing about the movie that I thought was smart is the fact that this is a film, yes, about discovering Simon's real personality of a manipulative liar and bully, but also one of Gordo's vengeance.

What makes this even better is the fact that Gordo's vengeance doesn't require a drop of blood. It's all about destroying Simon's marriage from the inside out and putting this idea in his head that ***SPOILER*** Gordo may or may not be the father of his child.

The thing about this is that us, the viewers, are never really even sure if Gordo did or didn't do what he's suggesting. It's all about an idea, and this is one of the film's themes, and how that idea can take hold of your mind.

Even if it's an idea that has no basis in reality or is backed up by actual facts. This is how you pull this 'give no real answers' ending without the movie feeling like it's incomplete or like you wasted your time investing in it.

The acting, unsurprisingly, is excellent. Joel Edgerton is excellent. His presence brings a lot to the film, because you're never quite sure what his intentions really are. You don't know if he really wants to make amends or move on or if his motives are a little darker.

Of course, once the film reaches its conclusion then you're completely aware of his motives. But I like how the movie keeps you guessing. Because, for a while, Gordo just disappears. He's missing from a pretty large chunk of the film.

This is when they focus on Simon's and Robyn's marriage falls apart as Simon's lies start to unravel. Of course, Rebecca Hall and Jason Bateman are both excellent. Rebecca has always been great, so no complaints there.

And I've always loved Jason Bateman, but it's clear that he's more known for his comedic efforts. It's a shame too, because I thought he was also pretty damn great in this movie. He doesn't do a lot of drama, but this is, easily, his best dramatic performance.

Of course, like I said, that's not really saying much but I still thought he was excellent and he played a great bullying and manipulative asshole. So yea, I really liked this film. It does a really good job at creating suspense, keeping you guessing and giving you some really interesting plot development.

I'd highly recommend this film, I thought it was pretty damn great. Not the best you'll ever see, but still a great thriller right here.