What if someone from your past forced you to confront something that you had been hiding—even from yourself? The line between teasing and bullying can be razor-thin, and fluctuate greatly depending on which side of the equation you’re on. What one person may chalk up to an act of harmless play, another person may internalize as deeply hurtful behaviour is what “The Gift” addresses the audience.
“The Gift started for me with a simple premise: what would happen if a high school bully ran into his victim fifteen or so years later? What would or could be the effects? How might the past come to bear on the present? How could the past, unaccounted and unresolved, rupture a present situation? Edgerton shares.
Joel Edgerton’s directorial debut “The Gift” opened to rave and critical acclaim (opens in Phils. cinemas this August 19) that landed in the US’ box-office top three spot despite competition from big-budget action films such as “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” and “Fantastic Four.”
A heart-stopping, thought-provoking psychological thriller, “The Gift” is from producers Jason Blum and Rebecca Yeldham (“Insidious,” “Paranormal Activity”) and actor, writer, producer and first-time director Joel Edgerton (“The Great Gatsby,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Warrior”) with co-stars Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall. “The Gift” opens benignly enough, focusing on a couple ostensibly at the apex of professional and personal success as they effortlessly climb the professional ladder and comfortably settles into their dream home, until a chance encounter with someone from the past.
Joel Edgerton, known for his unforgettable inhabitation of various characters such as the jealous pharaoh in “Exodus,” the beleaguered mixed martial arts fighter in “Warrior” and the philandering husband in “The Great Gatsby,” star anew in the upcoming drama thriller “The Gift” opposite Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall.
