THE BOX (Film Review)

  

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Written by Greg VictorcloseAuthor: Greg Victor Name: Greg Victor
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About: Greg Victor (Parcbench Culture Editor) is a historian, pop culture critic, and theatrical dramaturg and has stage managed theatrical productions on Broadway and on tour, including Billy Joel's "Movin' Out", Monty Python's "Spamalot" and more.See Authors Posts (225) on November 12, 2009

* * 1/2 (out of 4)
Rating: PG-13 (violence, disturbing images)
Director: Richard Kelly

What’s in “The Box”? I’ll tell you. A little bit of: “The Twilight Zone,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “Indecent Proposal,” “The Stepford Wives,” “Faust,” and a good dose of classic fiction from Shirley Jackson.

It is also a film that very few people will enjoy sitting through. I happen to be one who did. But, then again, I sort of enjoy watching characters that make an unethical and immoral choice go through hell.

“The Box” is not an easy film to review. Practically every situation described will end up being a “spoiler”. But here goes…

It is 1976, with Jimmy “I’ve seen UFOs” Carter in the White House. Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) lives with her husband Arthur (James Marsden), and their son Walter. One early morning a package is placed on their doorstep that contains a box with a button under a glass dome that must be opened with a key. Later that day, a man who is missing part of his face presents Norma with an offer. The creepy man is Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) and he announces that if the button is pushed, someone in the world that the family does not know will die and they will receive one million dollars in cash. If they don’t press it, nothing will happen and the offer will move on to someone else. What to do with the box presents the family with huge moral dilemmas. The rest is far too complicated to explain, but this is really a film about a question and not an answer. The implied question is “Would you push the button?”

Richard Kelly is known for dividing audiences with the films he makes. “The Box” is no different. There will be people who love this film, and there will be people who loathe it. It is a mess. It’s also a brain-teaser. It is a load of crap. It’s also a possible future cult classic.

The weight of sheer story-telling involved almost makes the film cave in on itself. There are a lot of details that don’t add up to much, and there are characters that seem to be important that, in the end, just are not. Looking back on it, I cannot say this is one of those films that would make more sense by seeing it for a second time. But the mind-boggling confusion is all part of the experience of “The Box,” and since this is film that is told on a very grand scale, the perplexity it evokes is also substantial.

The entire film has the feel of a 1970s sci-fi fantasy. It dares to be a story that could only happen at the movies. It is a philosophical thriller, built on a growing sense of dread. But anyone who stays awake throughout it (and I’m not promising you will) will have tons of questions. Is it a frustrating and freaky film experience? Definitely. There are very few writer/directors who make movie after movie that challenges the viewer. Richard Kelly is one of the great contemporary auteurs, and “The Box” certainly has a place alongside his other films “Donnie Darko” and “Southland Tales.”

I’m not recommending this movie to just anyone, but if you are someone who doesn’t mind taking the journey to the outer limits of what a film’s narrative can achieve, this might be a movie you’ll enjoy. I did. I really did. But then again, I like to think outside the box.

A few interesting facts about “The Box”:
-The original version of “The Box” was a short story by Richard Matheson. It was published as “Button, Button” in the June, 1970 issue of Playboy. In the short story, the couple would receive $50,000 if they pushed the button.
-“Button, Button” was an episode of “The Twilight Zone” revival that aired in 1986. The couple receiving the mystery box were played by Brad Davis and Mare Winningham. The amount offered to the couple increased to $200,000 in “The Twilight Zone” episode.

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