Pro-Tip: Go See THE GIFT Before Someone Spoils It For You

This post contains no (textual) spoilers.

Joel Edgerton's The Gift kicked my ass when I caught it a few weeks ago, and I think the film's going to be a big hit with the BMD crowd. It's a well-acted, tightly-written little thriller, but the film's real selling point is its willingness to go really, really, uncomfortably dark. You can get "well-acted" and "tightly-written" from any number of thrillers, but you only get The Gift's particular brand of nastiness from, say, Fantastic Fest programming, or South Korean revenge cinema. It's brutal and I loved it.

The problem, as I see it, is that The Gift's uncommon darkness is precisely what's going to get people talking about it after they've seen it. That's a double-edged sword: word of mouth's good, but we live in the Oversharing On Social Media Age, so the chances of someone spoiling the film's bananas third act for you are probably pretty high. Maybe it'll happen via Twitter, maybe it'll happen over on Facebook, maybe your grandparents will wander into The Gift expecting something by-the-numbers, end up traumatized by it, and end up sending you a rambling email afterwards explaining why it upset them so much. Point is, you should be worried.

Hell, you can't even really trust The Gift's official marketing. The clip below, for instance, which focuses on Jason Bateman's performance in the film. On the one hand, it provides a great look at Bateman's work in the film, and gives Edgerton a chance to explain why he wanted to cast Bateman in the role in the first place. On the other hand, it spends a bit too much time showing off one of the film's most intense scenes...something I'm pretty sure a lot of you would prefer to experience in context. I'll leave it here and let you make the call. 

My advice? If you're interested in seeing The Gift (94% on Rotten Tomatoes), make it a priority this weekend. You can give Fantastic Four (12% on Rotten Tomatoes) its day in court sometime next week. Or the week after. Or when it hits Redbox. Doesn't matter. Point is, only one of these films has a real chance of being spoiled for you this weekend, and that's the one you oughtta see first. Besides, I think you guys are really going to dig this one.

But don't just take it from me. Just listen to what the handsome critic quoted in this commercial has to say:

The Gift opens Friday. Do yourself a favor and see it.