The Gift (2015)

This surprisingly nasty thriller is set in the designer homes and swanky offices of modern suburban L.A., but generates a vicious paranoia that feels like ’70s NYC. Joel Edgerton, who wrote the script and makes an impressive directorial debut, costars as an off-putting oddball who tries reuniting with an old school pal (Jason Bateman) and his wife (Rebecca Hall). These three performances – particularly an excellent Bateman – aid the script in developing nuanced characters, and Edgerton establishes an unsettling tension early on that he spends the rest of the film steadily intensifying. He starts off at Point A, and, since this is a thriller, we know it will end at Point B, but Edgerton and company find clever and unexpected ways to get us there. The Gift is one of those films where you want to go in knowing as little of the plot as possible, so avoid trailers and trust that you’re in good hands. Edgerton’s plot-driven thrills arise from a modest but cunning style of genre filmmaking we are rarely treated to anymore.