Tejasvani Datta
‘The Gift’ is truly a gift to the psychological thriller genre from actor Joel Edgerton who made his directorial debut with it. Along with acting and directing the film, Edgerton also wrote the script and co-produced it, revealing to his audience that he is the complete package, and someone to watch out for in the coming years.
‘The Gift‘ is hands down one of the most brilliant pieces of thriller fiction in the past years. It is an astonishingly creepy and exceptionally crafted psychological thriller that has the power to create a world of horrors for both its characters and the audience. It is immensely powerful in its manipulation and has the audience consistently on the edge without any involvement of physical violence. Instead, the violence in the film is psychological which is what makes it all the more unsettling and horrifying.
There have been no talks about a sequel to ‘The Gift’ by either the cast or the crew in the past years. But it has consistently been demanded by the audience especially after the film’s nerve-wrecking ending with its grand twist. It not only changed everything about the story, but also left the audience with a much bigger mystery and just left it to linger.
Will there be a second part to ‘The Gift’ then? Well, I do certainly hope we get one. But I also think that the film’s consistent twists and subtlety are exactly what make it so refreshing because you’re left clueless right till the end. It does stand really well on its own. But I wouldn’t be lying if I say that it left me feeling more curious than ever, and wanting more. We do not know anything about a sequel yet. But we can definitely speculate what it could be about.
The Gift 2 Plot: What Can It Be About?
One of the best things about ‘The Gift’ is the way it takes a relatively simple scenario and a domestic setting and turns them both into a nightmarish, unnerving atmospheric horror. But perhaps the best thing about this psychological thriller is that it doesn’t let you pick sides when it comes Simon and Gordo. Everytime you think you have figured it out, the film lets you have it for a couple of moments, and then suddenly hits you with something totally unexpected.
At its core, ‘The Gift’ is a story about the consequences of bullying. It is a vengeance story, a blast past from the past that will always haunt you. The film centres around Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall), a married couple who move to a suburb as Simon gets a new job. They then start getting stalked by Gordo (Edgerton), Simon’s classmate, who visits unannounced and drops gifts for the two of them. Finally, at her babyshower she learns that Simon was a bully in school who fabricated the story that Gordo was molested which ended up ruining his life.
Just when the viewers begin to believe that Simon is the bad guy, Gordo drops his last gift to Simon which is a video from a few months ago of Gordo dragging a fainted Robyn to the bedroom where he states that maybe he raped her. The film ends with the mystery of not knowing whether or not Gordo committed the act, not knowing who the father is of Robyn’s child. Personally, I don’t think he did it, but he did get his vengeance from Simon by psychologically torturing him by his words. Just like Simon once did. The film, then, in many ways, shows the importance of how much an idea, something that is potentially not be real, can be as damaging to the mind as anything else. Simon loses everything because of it, including his family and his job.
If at all there is a sequel to ‘The Gift’ it should very obviously explore this horrifyingly twisted ending. More importantly, I would like to see it explore both the characters further by adding more layers and twists to this already complicated, unnerving story. Maybe it would finally allow us to pick sides. Maybe we finally get to decide between who the victim and who the perpetrator is from the two. But again, the beauty of ‘The Gift’ lies in the way it blurs that line for us. That is exactly what makes the film so terrifying and disorienting.
The second part of the film could maybe also act as a prequel to the story, going back to the past and adding more layers to the acts committed by both the characters. It could also reveal what led them here. Is Simon still a bully? Is Gordo only seeking vengeance or has his childhood trauma really turned him into a monstrous being? There is more to the story than what meets the eyes.
The Gift 2 Cast: Who Can Be In It?
If at all we do get a sequel to ‘The Gift’, it will definitely have to bring the three characters back, despite Robyn choosing to separate from Simon. This means the potential sequel will have Joel Edgerton, Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall reprising their roles. Of course, new characters will mostly be introduced from either the past or the future to add layers, so new cast members will be added to the team.
The Gift 2 Crew: Who Can Be Behind It?
There are no doubts here, Joel Edgerton will be behind the sequel to ‘The Gift’ if or when it is made. Edgerton is a truly talented artist, and the film is a brilliant example of that. I really hope to see more of his work because I am sure each one of them will be as great but in its own right. But since Edgerton is just starting out his filmmaking career, focusing on sequels seems like a side-step instead of a step-forward. Along with that, Edgerton is also busy with his other projects.
So a sequel, at least in near future, is a little unrealistic. But maybe a few years down the line, we will have Edgerton return to this terrifying thriller piece he created. Along with Edgerton, I think we could definitely have Blumhouse producing the sequel as well because of the profits it made on the first.
The Gift 2 Release Date: When Can It Premiere?
Since there have been absolutely no talks about ‘The Gift 2’, we will mostly not get a sequel. Also, Edgerton is currently busy with several other upcoming projects which include ‘The Underground Railroad’, ‘Stingray’ and the sequel of ‘Bright’. Then it only makes sense to expect The Gift sequel to release sometime in 2024 or later.
