COMPANY executive Simon (Jason Bateman) and wife Robyn (Rebecca Hall) have just moved to California and bought a new home. Gordo (Joel Edgerton) bumps into them and reminds Simon that they once were classmates.

This apparently-innocent encounter is the foundation for actor Edgerton’s writing and directing debut, a melodrama exploring a history of schoolyard bullying and revenge served cold.

Gordo wants to be a close friend. His behaviour becomes increasingly insistent, to the point of Robyn believing that he is stalking her. After several failures, she becomes pregnant. Tensions begin to pervade the marriage. Little anonymous gifts conveying messages begin arriving at the house.

Slow to develop but never dull, “The Gift” explores a premise that starts simple and becomes intricate. The screenplay flouts genre conventions and keeps the audience’s expectations on edge with twists, shifting perspectives and moral ambiguity. The conflict is essentially uncomplicated and the tensions develop at an unhurried pace. Resolution of the core issue takes place without brouhaha. The musical score is often obtrusive. But overall, it’s an impressive debut.

At all cinemas