California’s The Garden Of Eden-Except For The Odd American Sociopath-
“The Gift” (2015)-A Short Film Review
DVD Review
By Brad Fox, Jr.
The Gift, starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgerton,
directed by Edgerton, 2015
I am apparently becoming the resident “expert” on psychological
thrillers since this is my third consecutive effort. Not that I mind, everybody
in the film critic, film review business including amateurs, those who think anybody
can give an opinion about a film and have it stick finds some niche. Finds some
safe haven really in this tough racket where you are only as good as your last
review. I remember my father the famous New York film reviewer who worked with
Pauline Kael and helped turn the work from a pastime to a profession saying not
even your last review but the one right in front of the reader. (Now the
profession has spawned climatic studies courses where you can get a “major” in
film review which has surprised my now retired father no end.) The draw this
time, this The Gift is a quirky
little number with its fair share of obvious thriller clichés but with enough
twists and turns to make it an above average venture.
Your average thriller usually sets up the demented psycho
early, lets him (or less often her) go through his paces getting everybody he
comes in contact with a little shaky, shaking their heads anyway. That is the
case early on with one Gordo Mosley, Gordo the Wierdo as he was known in high
school, played by Joel Edgerton who directed as well, who looks for all the
world like a stone-cold killer and A-I psycho. He runs into an old classmate
Simon Callem and his wife Robin who have just moved to LaLa land after suffering
the colds of Chicago (and some undisclosed problems Robin had, a prescription pill
junkie habit best left in the past). Of course, nobody explains as will be
revealed why deadbeat, down at the heels Gordo winds up in a high-end interior
design shop in LA and just happens to run into the lovely couple picking out
pillows or something for their new digs but we will let that pass. Seems Gordo
and Simon knew each other in high school and that is the wedge Gordo needs to
become a nuisance and somebody that Simon really wants to avoid-at all costs.
But like most weirdos, maybe this is a requirement for membership, Gordo has
some kind of idea fixed in his head that he will become part of the Simon-Robin
circle. And won’t take no for an answer. Simon for his own reasons which will
unfold as the film moves along is adamantly against that and makes it plain to Gordo.
Robin is a little more forgiving, sees Gordo as a sad sack just like herself.
Once rebuffed odd things start happening at the Callem
homestead and the prime suspect is one Gordo the Weirdo. Once that idea is set in
stone, once we are led to believe that Gordo is the bad guy and capable of any
kind of madness-even murder the twists start happening. The play then starts to
revolve around what big man on campus Simple Simon and a friend did to Gordo
back in high school. A classic case of macho man picking up the scent, picking
up weaknesses, bullying mercilessly a weaker man. It gets worse-Simon set Gordo
up with a lying sack of crap story that wound up getting him a reputation as a
gay man. All bullshit, all made up out of thin air. But not without
consequences for Gordo Mosely. That brush in turn led him to almost be killed by
his father for being gay. He wound up being sent to military school and life
went downhill from there for him. All because big man “could do it” according to
his accomplice.
As the revelations keep coming out in dribs and drabs Robin
gets a totally different look at her husband who turns out to be a bum of the
month lying sack of crap. Moreover his savagery is not all in the past. Along the
ways this ‘survival of the fittest guy” Simon has set up a co-worker with a
false past so that he can move up the food chain to a cushy job. That guy, and not
who you would suspect Gordo, went berserk and tried to destroy Simon’s house.
While that little diversion was going on the pregnant Robin was ready to give birth
which she does. A boy.
Here is where the chickens come home to roost and not in now
exposed sociopath Simon’s favor. We know he lied his ass off about that
co-worker just to get ahead but when under Robin’s pleadings he goes to apologize
to Gordo for his high school craziness which ruined Gordo’s life Gordo refuses
to accept the malarkey. Simon then does his patented bully act when things don’t
go his way and trashes Gordo. Then things go to hell in handbasket for dear
sociopath Simon. Robin after giving birth and realizing that Simon has a very
dark side which she had not seen before wants no part of him. His destruction
of a fellow worker’s chances gets him the boot from that promotion, gets him
fired. Here is the sweet part in a way
Gordo who really was disturbed-how much bully Simon’s fault is pretty clear- Gordo
via his stalking Robin and knowing her penchant for prescription drugs is in
the home when Robin faints-gets all this on camera-and may or may not have taken
advantage of her in that condition. He sends Simon a “gift” of the film of him
hovering over Robin leaving the bastard to wonder whether the child Robin bore
was his or the madman Gordo’s. Sweet revenge.
Massachusetts Peace Action has joined with the Massachusetts Korea Peace Campaign, a growing movement of Korean-Americans and allies in Massachusetts standing in support of the peace and reconciliation process on the Korean Peninsula. We are a multi-generational group, coming from all walks of life, and we are committed to ending the long-festering Korean War.
