Gift, The

The Gift asks the question, “Can you really go through life having never wronged anyone?” Simon (Bateman) and Robyn (Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going as planned, until a chance run in with Simon's high-school acquaintance sends their world into a narrowing tailspin. At first Simon doesn't recognize Gordo (Edgerton), but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she is forced to contemplate how well we really know those closest to us, and are bygones ever really bygones? (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Writer/Director Joel Edgerton, an alternate ending with introduction by Edgerton (HD 06:36), four deleted scenes with introduction by Edgerton (HD 07:55), the featurettes Karma For Bullies (HD 01:54) and The Darker Side Of Jason Bateman (HD 01:05), trailers, upfront previews, and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture was photographed digitally with the Arri Alexa camera system. The imagery appears to be filtered, which conveys an overall soft appearance, though, during close-ups detail is more apparent. Contrast is decent, as well as shadow delineation. Fleshtones are naturally rendered, as well as the overall appearance of the imagery. The scenes that are dark are really dark and require a display device capable of superb contrast and black-level reproduction. As the movie progresses, the dark corresponds to the building suspense. This is a very mood-driven picture, which is the essence of the stylized cinematography. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is primarily dialogue focused, which sounds decently integrated spatially. Atmospherics and sound effects really effectively create the eerie mood, especially as things progress. In two segments the sounds are panned around the soundfield. Deep bass is exercised with sudden bursts in the .1 LFE channel, with frequencies extending to sub-25 Hz. The orchestral score is nicely composed and recorded with a wide and deep soundstage that extends to the surrounds, at times intensely. This is an eerie sonic track that bursts from quiet to intense, and effectively enhances the emotional intenseness. (Gary Reber)