Can we ever truly get over our past? The Gift, which stars Jason Bateman as Simon, Joel Edgerton (who is also the writer-director of the movie) as Gordo, and Rebecca Hall as Robyn, is a psychological thriller about a married couple named Simon and Robyn who move to a new town and one day encounter Gordo, Simon’s old high school classmate.
At first Simon does not recognize Gordo, but later remembers him as “Gordo the Weirdo.” Gordo, who seems troubled, has not been able to let go of the past and takes a sudden interest in the couple.
Simon and Robyn decide to invite Gordo over for dinner and it is apparent that Gordo is a bit socially awkward. After their initial chance encounter in a store, Gordo starts to leave the couple mysterious gifts and notes (which get increasingly more troubling), to which they are a little unsure of how to respond.
Reluctantly, they decide to accept a dinner invitation from Gordo, who it seems, to their surprise, has been quite successful in life. At this point, things start to get stranger. Should the couple be afraid of Gordo or is he just a clueless and lonely guy who just does not pick up on social cues? Or are his intentions more sinister?
This is not your average psycho terrorizes happy couple movie as writer-director Edgerton keeps the surprises coming. The modern upscale house Simon and Robyn just bought is surrounded by glass windows, which add to the feeling of vulnerability.
The film is similar to Fatal Attraction in that a happy family becomes fearful of an outsider, yet why this is happening is more of a mystery in this movie. The picture does an outstanding job of building suspense and keeping the audience guessing, while Bateman, Edgerton, and Hall give effective performances. The ending is one that we do not see coming.
The film explores themes of trust and morality. The more Robyn learns about her husband Simon’s past, the more unsure she is about whether she can trust him and that begins to put a strain in their marriage. The more we find out about Bateman’s character, the more we are uncertain whether to root for him, pity him, or worse.
Robyn is more trusting and therefore welcoming to Gordo while Simon simply thinks of him as “Gordo the Weirdo” and wants to cut him off completely, which is when the movie starts taking a more sinister turn.
When Gordo mentions in a letter to Simon that he is willing to “let bygones be bygones,” Robyn is not satisfied when her husband claims not to know what he is referring to so she decides to find out what really happened when the two men were in high school. After more twists, we are left to wonder who is the antagonizer and who is the victim.
The Gift provides ample rewards for those looking for smart, suspenseful entertainment.
