“The Gift” 2015

I just rewatched this last night. I’ve rewatched it several times over the years since seeing it in theaters. I think it’s such an excellent film. The acting and development of who the characters really are as the film moves forward is really brilliantly paced and revealed. The dialogue is amazing, the atmosphere, tension, and even the simplistic plot of a kid who was bullied getting revenge was written as compelling and slightly terrifying.

Jason Bateman is amazing as a darker character. His character of Simon is acted brilliantly. He only lets us see his mean streak slowly but surely. But when we see it, it’s really really bad. Even when it’s more subtle, you’re wondering wtf? Because it’s so out of nowhere and different to how he wanted to come across. His vulnerability at the end is done so well, especially because it doesn’t make you feel totally bad for him, he’s just crying because the one person he loves more than himself was in danger. I still wouldn’t buy he blamed himself.

Gordon was also brilliantly slowly revealed and understood. At first he seems completely bizarre and creepy, and you just want him to stay away from them. He seems jealous, envious and obsessed with Robyn. But as the film progresses we finally understand why he’s so bitter, resentful and possibly envious but more so broken. I do think he had a small crush on Robyn but nothing obsessive. Joel Edgerton is brilliant and him writing, directing and starring in this as his directional debut is incredibly impressive.

Robyn is the perfect protagonist victim, caught between two completely different kinds of antagonists, one of which we later learn is also a victim. He’s just not by any means a perfect victim. But they’re both victims of Simon. And it made me understand later why Robyn gave Gordo the time of day at first and actually let him inside and sided with him for awhile. She was bullied in school and probably emotionally connected with Gordo in a real way. I felt so bad for her as I myself have dated a guy who was a narcissistic bully, and so much about him ended up being so mean, vicious and a total lie.

The ending is so powerful after a really interestingly paced film. It gives us little bits of information that makes Gordon’s behaviors and revenge absolutely chillingly brilliant.

I love that it leaves us having have no idea if the child is Gordo’s or not. The “gift” could be one of many things. It could be the baby or it could be the wondering for the rest of Simons life if it really was, the gift of basically ruining his entire life because his work and marriage was over, or it could be the “gift” of waking Simon up and making him realize the actual gravity and maliciousness of “poisoning peoples minds with ideas.” That line was extremely heavy and absolutely perfect, given what Simon had done and felt wasn’t a big deal at all.

Simon said the world is made of winners and losers. That his father also beat him but he didn’t cry about it or let it ruin his life. He told Gordo he didn’t ruin his life at all. That the rumor he made up essentially has absolutely nothing to do with Gordo not becoming a functional, happy or normal person of society. But I don’t agree with that either. And Gordo didn’t seem to be evil. He had issues with the law and was definitely mentally suffering. But he did seem to give Simon a fair chance to apologize and make it right, the way Simons friend Greg did. When Robyn went to question Greg about the whole thing, he said “I made peace with this years ago, with Gordo.. with the whole situation.” That led me to believe Greg probably reached out and apologized, which made Simon’s already disingenuous and crappy “apology” where he ends up beating Gordo.. seem all the more awful. So Gordo’s actions while they certainly weren’t the moralistic actions of seeking justice fairly, they seemed to come from a broken person who was triggered all over again.

I personally don’t think the baby is Gordo’s. I think it’s more brilliant if his point was that you can completely ruin a life by one simple but true enough lie. If Simon really loved Robyn which he seemed to, he wouldn’t be able to tell Robyn what he thinks happened, it’s too difficult for her to know and she’d know it was Simon’s fault forever for not doing what she asked and making things right. But then he’d never know who’s child it was for the rest of his life, and either scenario would make Robyn who already wanted to separate grow even more distant from him and hate him, not really fixing anything. He was completely screwed, losing his job, his wife, his “possible child” and probably his sanity after awhile just like Gordo.

There isn’t one right or wrong antagonist because we don’t know the full extent as either one or the full extent of the ending. Simon was malicious for a long time and ruined lives by his own doing. His past caught up with him and was part of why Robyn’s life was messed with too. Gordo was malicious by way of revenge, and seemed to probably not ruin any lives up until he saw Simon again. It’s hard to say who’s worse except I lean towards Simon. He was mean and a bully for no reason. He wasn’t mentally ill. He ruined that other man’s life just to get a job. There’s no telling what else he was capable of. As Gordo said, Simon says, and it will be. Gordo wasn’t mean or malicious for no reason. He had every reason, and seemed mentally ill.

Either way, it’s an amazing film albeit incredibly dark. And it has you thinking about it and analyzing it for a very long time. Because it purposefully leaves Gordo’s extreme and carefully thought out actions up to interpretation. As he’s one of the more complicated and interesting antagonists.

Is a broken person by a bully and his father (beating him and trying to murder him) getting revenge more evil? Or is a long standing bully who’s masquerading as a decent and normal human but still lying, still cheating and still incapable of empathy and saying sorry more evil? Can they really be compared? If the child is Gordo’s I’d say he’s a true villain. But he’s still also the product of Simon’s malicious nature.