Actor, director Joel Engerton presents us ‘The gift’, a great little(108 minute), psychological thriller, that is bound to keep you engaged and at the edge of your seat. It is an intense fare with excellent performances from its three main characters, that never lets up till the end.
Robyn and Simon Callem are a happily married, all-American young couple. Simon has taken on a new job in LA. The couple has relocated from Chicago, and is in the process of settling down, in their new house,, in a LA suburb. One day, while shopping to furnish their new home, they run into Gordon “Gordo” Moseley, an old schoolmate of Simon.
Following this encounter, Robyn find an expensive bottle of wine, with a card indicating that it is from Gordo, right at their front door. On another occasion, Gordo comes to their home announced when Simon is away at work and a courteous Robyn invites him in. When Simon comes home, the couple invite Gordo to stay for dinner,. After this the gifts keep coming regularly. Gordo even adds fishes to a pond, which is in the couple’s front entrance. The couple, at this time decide to overlook Gordo’s unusual behavior, as just part of his eccentric persona.
Gordo invites the couple to join him and another couple dinner at what he calls his house. When Robyn and Simon arrive at the venue, Gordo tells them that the other couple cancelled on the dinner and abruptly leaves Robyn and Simon alone at the residence, saying that he has been called to work to attend to an urgent matter.
This is the last straw for Simon who tells Gordo that they are leaving and that he, Gordo, should stay away from them. After this, much to their horror, Gordo’s harassment continues and gets more and more magnified. Robyn find that Gordo has killed the fishes he had presented to them earlier, and then their dog goes missing. As the plot proceeds, Gordo would manage to jeopardize Simon’s job, and then strike an even more devastating blow to the couples’ future.
At this point, a viewer may assume that he has the plot figured out. The viewer would indeed be mistaken. The plot of this movie is not merely about harassment or stalking. It is about how one’s past deeds can come back to haunt him or her at a later time in their life. It is also about the fact that some people are not what they appear to be, and hide their real self behind a amicable exterior.
There are many twists to the plot, that will lead to a surprising climax. With great performances from the main characters, a well written screenplay and good cinematography, the film is an engaging watch, that is suitable for all fans of thrillers and suspense movies.
Cast: Joel Engerton, Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall
Director: Joel Engerton
Bay Area Bloke 