The Gift (2015 film)

This article is about the 2015 American film. For other films with this name, see The Gift (disambiguation).
The Gift

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joel Edgerton
Produced by
Written by Joel Edgerton
Starring
Music by
  • Danny Bensi
  • Saunder Jurriaans
Cinematography Eduard Grau
Edited by Luke Doolan
Production
companies
Distributed by STX Entertainment
Release dates
  • July 30, 2015 (2015-07-30) (L.A. Live premiere[1])
  • August 7, 2015 (2015-08-07) (United States)
Running time
 108 minutes[2]
Country
  • United States
  • Australia
Language English
Budget $5 million[3][4]
Box office $59 million[5]

The Gift is a 2015 American-Australian psychological thriller film written, produced, and directed by Joel Edgerton, making his directorial debut. The film stars Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall as a couple intimidated by a figure from their past played by Edgerton. It was released in the United States on August 7, 2015, by STX Entertainment.

Plot

A married couple, Simon and Robyn Callum, relocate from Chicago to a Los Angeles suburb after Simon takes a new job. While out shopping, they run into Gordon "Gordo" Moseley, Simon's former high school classmate. Gordo begins dropping in unannounced, and delivering gifts including koi for their pond. He makes Simon uncomfortable, but Robyn sees no problem.

Gordo invites the couple to his large and elegant home. He receives a phone call and leaves abruptly; when he returns, Simon tells him to stay away from his family. The next day, Robyn finds the koi dead and their dog missing. Simon drives to Gordo's house to confront him, but discovers it is not actually his home. In the days following, Robyn suspects she is not alone in the house while Simon is at work. Unable to sleep, she steals prescription pills from her neighbor and one morning faints.

The dog returns, and Robyn receives a letter from Gordo apologizing. She is puzzled by Gordo writing that he is "willing to let bygones be bygones"; Simon says he does not know what it refers to. He refuses to make peace with Gordo, and tells Robyn her pills are making her paranoid.

Robyn becomes pregnant. At her baby shower, Simon's sister tells her that, at school, Simon and his friend Greg reported that Gordo was being molested. Gordo was bullied afterwards and had to transfer. Robyn finds Greg, who reveals that the molestation story was fabricated by Simon, who was a bully in school; as a result of the story, Gordo's father thought he was homosexual and nearly killed him. Robyn searches Simon's home office and discovers that he has run background checks on Gordo and someone named Danny McDonald.

Robyn learns Simon has beaten Danny for a promotion after troubling information was revealed from Danny's previous job. Robyn confronts Simon about Gordo, but he denies responsibility. At Robyn's behest, Simon tracks down Gordo and half-heartedly apologizes, but Gordo does not accept his apology. Furious, Simon attacks him.

Simon's promotion party is interrupted by Danny, who says Simon fabricated the information that ruined his career. Robyn goes into labor and gives birth to a boy. The next morning, Simon receives a call from his boss telling him that he has been accused of fraud and will be fired. Robyn tells him she wants a separation.

Simon goes home and finds another gift box, containing footage of Gordo preparing to sexually assault Robyn after she fainted months earlier. Meanwhile, Gordo visits Robyn in the hospital to congratulate her, bearing an apparently-injured arm in a sling; upon Robyn's inquiring, he attributes the injury to Simon. A panicked Simon rushes to the hospital where he receives a call from Gordo, who taunts him and refuses to confirm whether he attacked Robyn, or identify the baby's father. Simon breaks down as Gordo (watching from a distance) walks away, removing his arm sling.

Cast

Production

Development

The project was announced in August 2012, when it was reported that Joel Edgerton had written a psychological thriller script titled Weirdo, with which Edgerton would also be making his directing debut.[10] His inspirations for the screenplay include Alfred Hitchcock, Fatal Attraction and Michael Haneke's 2005 French film Caché,[4] as well as Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy.[11]

Filming

Principal photography began on January 19, 2015,[12] and ended on February 20, 2015.[13] A majority of filming took place at a home in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, where STX Entertainment also held promotional interviews for the film.[14]

The film was shot on an Arri Alexa with Canon C35 lenses, and was filmed in 25 days, according to its cinematographer, Eduard Grau. Grau was recommended by Nash Edgerton, who served as the film's stunt coordinator, after the two were part of the production for the 2013 short film Streetcar.[15][16][17]

In an interview with Collider.com, Edgerton revealed that he did not start filming his acting role until two weeks into shooting (devoting that time, instead, solely to directing). As soon as he did, his older brother Nash assisted on set behind the camera. Edgerton completed shooting his role as Gordo in seven days.[18]

Post Production

Post-production took eleven weeks from March–June 2015. Luke Doolan also edited Sundance winner Animal Kingdom (also starring Edgerton).

Distribution

On January 20, 2015, STX Entertainment bought the United States distribution rights to the film.[19] STX retitled the film The Gift.[20] The film is Edgerton’s fourth feature screenplay to be filmed, after The Square (2008), Felony (2013) and The Rover (2014).[21][22][23]

Release

STX initially set The Gift for domestic release on July 31, 2015,[24] and later moved it to August 7, 2015.[25]

Marketing

The first trailer was released on April 1, 2015.[26] It premiered on Twitter's live video streaming app Periscope, making STX Entertainment the first advertiser to work with Twitter on a campaign incorporating Periscope.[27]

Reception

Box office

The Gift grossed $43,787,265 in North America and $15,191,388 in other territories for a worldwide total of $58,978,653, against a budget of $5 million.[5]

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $11,854,273, finishing third at the box office behind Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation ($28,502,372) and fellow newcomer Fantastic Four ($25,685,737).[28]

Critical response

The film received largely positive reviews, praising the performances, dark tone, Edgerton's direction, and screenplay. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 93%, based on 147 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Gift is wickedly smart and playfully subversive, challenging the audience's expectations while leaving them leaning on the edges of their seats."[29] Metacritic gives the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[31]

Time Out's Daisy Bowie-Sell praised The Gift as "darkly unnerving", commending its ending and comparing it positively to a similar film, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.[32] In a review for Indiewire, Katie Walsh lamented the film's use of common thriller cliches and restraint towards the climax, but lauded Joel Edgerton's direction, concluding: "His deft, controlled maneuvering of plot, character, style, and tone is damn near perfect for his feature debut—even if it is in service of a very standard genre piece."[33] Conversely, Norman Wilner of Now criticized Edgerton's directorial debut as full of "mistakes and bad calls", ultimately giving The Gift a 2/5 rating.[34]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Directors Guild of America Awards First-Time Feature Film Director Joel Edgerton Nominated [35]
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Wide-Release Film Pending [36]
Best Supporting Actor Pending
Best Screenplay Pending
Sitges Film Festival Best Actor Won [37]
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Breakthrough Film Artist (for producing, directing and screenwriting) Nominated [38]
Best Overlooked Film Runner-up [39]

References

  1. ↑ Holmes, Mannie (July 31, 2015). "Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman Celebrate STX Entertainment’s First Premiere of ‘The Gift’". Variety. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ "THE GIFT (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ Busch, Anita (August 4, 2015). "‘Fantastic Four’ Will Top Busy Box Office Weekend – Preview". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Chai, Barbara (July 29, 2015). "In Directorial Debut, Actor Joel Edgerton Delivers a ‘Gift’". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "The Gift (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (January 13, 2015). "Jason Bateman To Star In Joel Edgerton’s Helming Debut". deadline.com. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  7. ↑ Sneider, Jeff; Ge, Linda (November 3, 2014). "Rebecca Hall to Star in Joel Edgerton's Directorial Debut (Exclusive)". thewrap. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ George, Sandy (September 9, 2013). "Joel Edgerton to shoot debut feature in California". screendaily.com. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  9. ↑ Lloyd, Kenji (May 21, 2015). "The Gift UK Release Date Set for August; Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall & Joel Edgerton Star". Final Reel.
  10. ↑ Eisenberg, Eric (August 15, 2012). "Joel Edgerton Developing Psychological Thriller Weirdo As Directorial Debut". cinemablend.com. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ Oster, James (August 3, 2015). "The Gift Interviews: Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall!". joblo.com. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  12. ↑ "On the Set for 1/19/15: Kevin Spacey Begins on Elvis & Nixon, Director Joel Edgerton Starts on Blumhouse Film & More". ssninsider.com. January 19, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ "On the Set for 2/23/15: Pirates of the Caribbean 5 & Snowden Begin Shooting, Joel Edgerton Wraps On Film for Blumhouse". ssninsider.com. February 23, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ Ellwood, Gregory (August 4, 2015). "How did 'The Gift's' Gordo know I'm a Clippers fan?". HitFix. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  15. ↑ Grau, Eduard. "Eduard Grau Cinematographer The Gift". Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Streetcar (2013) - Full Cast and Crew". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Nash Edgerton". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  18. ↑ Radish, Christina (August 4, 2015). "Joel Edgerton on THE GIFT, Making His Directing Debut, JANE GOT A GUN, and More". Collider.com. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  19. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (January 20, 2015). "Showtime, STX Entertainment Announce TV Deal and First Four Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  20. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (March 25, 2015). "Joel Edgerton’s Directing Debut Gets A Title". deadline.com. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  21. ↑ Roach, Vicky (January 14, 2015). "Joel Edgerton set to direct Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall in self-penned thriller Weirdo". News.com.au.
  22. ↑ Zuckerman, Esther (January 14, 2015). "Jason Bateman signs up for Joel Edgerton’s directorial debut". Entertainment Weekly.
  23. ↑ George, Sandy (September 9, 2013). "Joel Edgerton to shoot debut feature in California". ScreenDaily.com.
  24. ↑ Lang, Brent (February 25, 2015). "STX Entertainment Dates Films With Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts, Jason Blum". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
  25. ↑ "The Gift (2015)". Box Office Mojo. October 9, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  26. ↑ Eric Pederson, "‘The Gift’ Trailer: Joel Edgerton's Directing Debut Might Make You Rethink Nostalgia," Deadline.com, April 1, 2015.
  27. ↑ Garett Sloane, "Movie Studio Is the First to Live Stream a Trailer Premiere With Twitter's Periscope," Ad Week, April 1, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 7-9, 2015". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. August 10, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  29. ↑ "The Gift". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  30. ↑ "The Gift". Metacritic. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  31. ↑ "The Gift reviews". Deadline. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  32. ↑ Daisy Bowie-Sell (August 3, 2015). "The Gift". Time Out. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  33. ↑ Walsh, Katie (August 5, 2015). "Review: 'The Gift' Starring Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman, And Rebecca Hall". Indiewire. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  34. ↑ Wilner, Norman (August 5, 2015). "The Gift". NOW Toronto. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  35. ↑ http://deadline.com/2016/01/dga-awards-nominations-2016-film-full-list-1201681227/
  36. ↑ http://www.fangoria.com/new/never-mind-oscar-heres-the-2016-fangoria-chainsaw-awards-nominees-ballot/
  37. ↑ http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/invitation-sitges-prizes-s-craig-zhaler-bone-tomahawk-1201620580/
  38. ↑ http://www.awardsdaily.com/2016/01/03/central-ohio-film-critics-nominations-4/
  39. ↑ http://www.cofca.org/awards.php?year=2015

External links

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