I wrote a few days back about how this was getting taken off of Netflix at the end of February but I just want to reiterate the greatness of this particular film that is getting removed and encourage you to see it before it is gone forever.
src
This was back in the time when Jason Bateman was just starting to make his run back to the forefront as far as his career is concerned. Prior to that we still admired him but for the most part he was a background performer and not the front of the line A-list actor that he is today. Director Joel Edgerton also stars in this movie and while he does a pretty decent job, his direction and the fact that he wrote this thing is far more impressive than his performance in the film is. I would say that in the background and behind the camera is probably where he shines the best because this film, which appears to be a cookie-cutter film that is easy to predict, actually really seriously turns on you at the end.
src
The entire film was made for under $5 million and this leads me to believe that Bateman must be pals with Edgerton in real life because these days it costs more than that just to get Bateman to be in something. Perhaps Bateman was starting to feel as though he was careening down a path of being typecast in comedies at that point and realized that he needed to diversify his acting portfolio and did it for that reason.
Regardless of how it came together, this film is fantastic for one very good reason:
It doesn't follow the typical Hollywood narrative
src
For about 60% of the film, The Gift appears as though it is doing precisely that: Taking us down the same path that so many films before have gone down but then as the story goes on it almost has a "Korean cinema" feel to it in that it convinces you that one thing is true, only to have it completely flipped on its head in the last 40% of the film.
One thing that I absolutely hate about a majority of films that come out of Hollywood is the fact that if you have seen the trailer, you can basically guess what the end result is going to be. Or if you can't guess that, you can tell in the first 10 minutes of the film. It is just a question of how they are going to get there. This is true with all but one of the blockbuster super-hero films which I for the most part loathe (I recently watched Aquaman and that film is the epitome of Hollywood idiocy and money making.)
src
subtle shots of when we are at our most vulnerable is part of the majesty that this story takes on
The reason why I love Korean cinema so much is that you have no idea how it is going to pan out and you enter the film having no clue if the good guys or the baddies are going to win and sometimes the film actually makes you think a great deal about stuff that isn't even directly addressed in the movie itself. This is the reason why Parasite deserved to win Best Picture at the Oscars last year and is the reason why I encourage people to get into Korean or Japanese films as soon as possible.
Hollywood has lost its way and is operating merely for profit. These other markets, realizing that they don't actually have much chance at a global audience, nor do they have 200 million to throw around on special effects, have to get a bit more creative with the story... This is precisely what Joel Edgerton does in The Gift.
Should I watch it?
Absolutely yes! and if you use Netflix exclusively for film options you have just a few days left to do so. There are of course other torrent methods of getting this film but I was surprised at how few of those options exist out there as well. I really wish that Hollywood would make edgy films like this on a more frequent basis but unfortunately they do not.
I saw this back when it was released and feel about the same about it as you do. It wasn't what you were expecting and that is what makes is so special. It doesn't have much rewatch value once you already know the ending but that is fine. That is what makes it so special.