The Gift has officially become the best movie of the year for me. And to think the first time I saw the first trailer ever released, I didn't care for it at all.
Truth is, there's no way to properly market this movie without spoiling something important. It's just like Gone Girl, a psychological thriller that has a certain twist somewhere in the movie that, once spoiled, will diminish the impact of the movie.
That's why on surface, from the first trailer and even the second trailer, this looked like a slow and boring thriller.
Sure the movie is not without flaws. I thought the middle of the movie could have been trimmed a little bit to give it a faster beat. But other than that, this was an amazing attempt by Joel Edgerton at directing. Not only was this his first feature film, but he knocked it out of the park.
Edgerton has a great sense for creating suspenseful scenes and he has an eye to see where the camera should go. There were a few scenes in the movie where it almost felt like a horror. And just by framing a shot a certain way, it spoke volumes. If only horror movies have Edgerton as a director!
Edgerton also brought out the best in his actors, especially in Jason Bateman. I've always thought Bateman has talent, but never given a chance to show it off. Here, Bateman shone. Those last few times when he confronted Edgerton's character, especially beside the car, he was so realistic in his mannerisms.
At the bottom of it all, this story is about bullying, and Edgerton brought that message to a whole new level showing what bullying could do to someone at the worst. And I loved how he crafted his character from start to finish.
Even when writing this review, I'm still getting goose bumps when flashes of the movies played in my mind.
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