Film: An Unexpected Summer Gift

Summer is the time that most people go to the movies to get their superhero injection, ad nauseum.  For me it is the time I usually take a break from movies with the exception of a few art house things and maybe a blockbuster or two  starring an animated Amy Poehler or a trainwreck Amy Schumer (or as the case later this week a documentary about Amy Winehouse.)  So for me to find something compelling like The Gift is a surprise summer treat. 

I say all that to tell you I won't tell you very much about The Gift.  The less you know the better.  That isn't because "there is a Bruce Willis has been dead the whole movie" twist. It's because it's a puzzle, and the fewer pieces you have going in, the better the film experience you have.  

I'm sure marketing this film was very tough. It could easily be marketed as a horror/thriller, and while it is those things, it is also NOT those things.    It's also a very thoughtful film that has a lot to say about.....well damn I really want to tell you, but I won't.  

Joel Edgerton directed, wrote, and co-stars in this film, and if you don't know him you likely will very soon. He's been in a few not hugely successful films in the USA, and he is best known to me as a co-star in the great Australian film Animal Kingdom.  He has created something unusual with this film. It is riveting, entertaining and also thought provoking.  Jason Bateman and Vicki Cristina  Barcelona's  underrated Rebecca Hall star as a husband and wife with Edgerton playing their acquaintance.  That's all I'm going to tell you. 

Go see it.  Maybe you won't think it is as good or as deep as I think it is.  But hopefully it will make you think and also entertain you.  

8 out of 10