Review of The Gift (2015) by Siham W — 02 Jan 2016

This ought to be one the best slow burner out there. At first I thought it was gonna be one of those cliché behind-the-fridge-door-peekaboo kind of thrillers. Then I feared it was turning into some lame remake of Funny Games.

Half way through I was ready to give up when the mystery unravels and I just couldn't help but grin. Suddenly the movie is not just a psychological thriller anymore, it's a satire. I don't think the main subject is school and its drama.

I think the setting is a metaphor. It's about life, about perception in general, and our perception of people's characters in particular. It's about power, it's origin, how some secure it and the collateral damages.

It's about semantics, dogma and social structure: who and what makes an outcast or a champion; a loser or a winner; a sucess or a failure. It's also about the butterfly effect of one's actions.

All in all it was a very good debut movie, with a great performance by Bateman. I don't think I've ever watched a dramatic work of his.