Film review: The Gift, well-done psychological thriller

MANILA, Philippines - In the well-executed psychological thriller The Gift, the California glass house that Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robin (Rebecca Hall) move into when they leave Chicago for a new job, a new life, could well be a metaphor for the transparency and truth that a marriage requires in order to prosper and survive. Keeping dark secrets, reinventing your past and finding out that the past never truly leaves you are some of the themes this film tackles with a reverent salute to the genre that spawned the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Brian de Palma, while offering us enough novel twists and turns to bestow freshness and surprise. Kudos to writer and director Aussie Joel Edgerton, who himself takes on the role of Gordo, the long-lost “friend” from Simon’s buried past, who sets in motion the film’s sinister and malevolent tone.

The movie’s plot revolves around Simon and Robin moving to California and while shopping for furniture, bump into Gordo, an old acquaintance of Simon. Creepy and over-attentive, Gordo quickly becomes that neighbor from hell we all wish to avoid. But as the film unravels, long-kept secrets begin to glimmer in the distance, disturbing our own perception of who deserves our sympathy. To the film’s merit, this is done in a manner that stays true and organic to the storytelling path Edgerton has chosen; our sympathies shift and retract, holding our interest in the film’s development. As actor/director, Edgerton is generous in giving both Bateman and Hall their moments of dramatic intensity.

The pacing and cinematography are also points to Edgerton’s credit. He continuously uses scenes with smoke and mirrors to add to the atmosphere — seeming to reflect on the murky quality of our protagonists. He allows us to “discover,” along with the characters; and has Robin (Hall), despite her own troubled past, be our moral compass. And whenever we think we know where the film is going, the story manages to confound expectations and give us a new twist or surprise. And rather than go for shock value or spine-tingling moments, there is a more mature and disturbing approach at play here.

The Gift may at times look like it has a “paint by numbers” scenario, something we’ve seen often enough in films of this type. But the tightly-knit acting and interaction between the three main characters elevate the film and lay waste to that hasty prognosis. And what truly works is the edgy screenplay that is sure to leave us talking about the ending long after the final scene has left the screen. To Edgerton’s credit, the open-ended resolution may leave us hanging, but it satisfies better than a neat, all points covered one could have. This may be Edgerton’s directorial debut, but the polish in execution is one to admire. It isn’t easy to keep things hidden forever in a glass house.