I am rarely frightened by films
depicting things that “go bump in the night”.
Unearthly creatures and zombies and such don’t have the impact on me as does
true suspense. Particularly
psychological suspense. It’s what I read. It’s what I write. And it’s what I enjoy
seeing on the big screen. This is why
Alfred Hitchcock has always been one of my favorite directors. He not only created suspense from the outer
workings of a plot, but also delved into the twisted psyche of a person’s mind,
juxtaposing the two.
When I
entered the theatre to see The Gift I
had no preconceived notions. (I am
referring now to the 2015 release, written and directed by Joel Edgerton, and
not the supernatural film that came out in 2000, which was, incidentally,
another favorite of mine.) I intentionally avoided reading reviews on it and
heard little about it other than that it was a good film.
The story
is that of a young, upscale, married couple, Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca
Hall) Callen. They have recently moved
from Chicago to Los Angeles , the city from which Simon originally hails, because
Simon has just gotten an excellent new job.
While out buying things for their new home, the couple run into an old high
school classmate of Simon’s, Gordon “Gordo” Moseley (Joel Edgerton.)
Though Simon tells Robyn he barely remembers
the guy, Gordo is apparently intent on renewing a friendship. He drops by frequently, bringing little gifts
for Simon and Robyn, and since he usually does this while Robyn is home alone,
Simon becomes increasingly uncomfortable, especially since, as he relates to
his wife, Gordo’s nickname in high school was “Gordo the Weirdo”. When Gordo invites the Callens to his house
for dinner, Simon seeks to put an end to Gordo’s attempts to insert himself
into their company at every opportunity.
Rather
than go further in relaying the entire story or offering up “spoiler alerts” I’ll
stop here and just say that The Gift has
a fair share of twists and turns and detours that the audience does not see
coming. Made on a relatively low budget,
the film was the directorial debut of Joel Edgerton and a brilliant one it
is. In fact, one can see the influence of
Hitchcock in Edgerton’s directing. The movie
was not only well directed, it was extremely well written as well. But it was the acting that I was particularly
impressed by.
In fact, so natural was the acting
that it was almost as though the “4th wall” had evaporated and we,
the viewers, were witness to actual conversations. Particularly noteworthy was the performance
of Jason Bateman. At Oscar time, most
nominees for best actor are drawn from “meaningful, true-based” films (movies
made by the Weinstein Brothers that either tug at the heart or are significant
in other,…well, “meaningful” ways.)
Often ignored are performances by those actors who may have appeared in
what I refer to as popcorn movies.
Movies thoroughly enjoyed by movie-goers who simply want to enjoy their
popcorn and be entertained – amused, thrilled, frightened. Hitchcock made those movies and audiences
loved them as well as the actors who starred in them.
If Jason Bateman’s acting were to
be considered on its own merits, I would say that he most definitely deserves
an Oscar nomination for his performance in The
Gift.
I highly recommend this film (and that
you see it before anyone reveals too much about it.)
Hope everyone had a terrific weekend and thanks for following me on,
Rhodes Less Traveled
Vivian
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