The Box (2009/I)

Director:

Richard Kelly

Writers (WGA):

Richard Kelly (screenplay)
Richard Matheson (short story "Button, Button")

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

You Are The Experiment

Plot:

A small wooden box arrives on the doorstep of a married couple, who know that opening it will grant them a million dollars and kill someone they don't know.

Plot Keywords:

Moral Dilemma | Supernatural | NASA | Based On Short Story | 1970s

Cast

Cameron Diaz	...	Norma Lewis
James Marsden	...	Arthur Lewis
Frank Langella	...	Arlington Steward
James Rebhorn	...	Norm Cahill
Holmes Osborne	...	Dick Burns
Sam Oz Stone	...	Walter Lewis
Gillian Jacobs	...	Dana
Celia Weston	...	Lana Burns
Deborah Rush	...	Clymene Steward
Lisa K. Wyatt	...	Rhonda Martin
Mark S. Cartier	...	Martin Teague (as Mark Cartier)
Kevin Robertson	...	Wendel Matheson
Michele Durrett	...	Rebecca Matheson (as Michele Durett)
Ian Kahn	...	Vick Brenner
John Magaro	...	Charles

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44919) | Finland:K-13 | UK:12A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:M | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Boston Public Library - 700 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Darko Entertainment

Trivia:

The number "13" is referenced at least three times. The first time is at the beginning of the movie, with the shot of the Lewis' bedroom clock, which shows 5:44 a.m., the digits of which amount to "13". The second reference is Mr. Steward's car, the license plate number of which is "XH34-568". The letters "X" and "H" are the 24th and 8th numbers of the alphabet, respectively. Twenty-four plus eight equals 32. Thirty-two plus the other numbers on the license plate (3, 4, 5, 6, and 8) totals 58; 5 plus 8 totals to "13". Finally, the third reference is the Lewis' home address, the numbers of which are "7321"; 7 plus 3 plus 1 plus 2 totals "13".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Richmond, VA was the first US state to adopt 911 as an emergency number in 1977, however this movie is set in December 1976.

Movie Connections:

Version of "The Twilight Zone: Profile in Silver/Button, Button (#1.20)" (1986)

Soundtrack:

When Joanna Loved Me

Who Are The People Who Control The Lightning?

Where do I begin? Where. Do. I. Begin? It seems as if Richard Kelly's The Box has left me in a temporary paralysis, and I'm afraid any attempt at getting out of it might prove to be futile. You might have heard of Kelly's past work and witnessed his capacity to shock, to awe and to literally twist your brain into such a scrunch that you walk away with a feeling like you just woke up after a long night drinking with the worst hangover of your life. Donnie Darko, Kelly's first effort, was released in 2001 and to very heavy criticism. Although, after finding a cult following during its DVD run, Kelly became the next big thing to watch for. In 2006, he screened his quasi-completed follow-up at the Cannes Film Festival. Southland Tales, a futuristic sci-fi/fantasy film, was loaded with more weirdness than Darko, a musical number led by Justin Timberlake, and a cast primarily made up of former WWE wrestlers and former SNL cast members. The film was met to a poor reception, and received the lowest graded score in Cannes Film Festival history. The final version of the film was released in the theaters in late-2007, but tanked at the box office, and critics and fans alike wrote it off as an incoherent and babbling satire with no plot or direction.

However, Kelly did get another shot at directing after signing on with Warner Bros. just before the release of Tales. So that brings us to present day. After months of postponement, Kelly's third film has finally been brought to the screen. And what a film it is. Or is it? If something moves you in a certain way, moves you to tears, moves you to question your existence, moves you to question life itself, does it still belong in the category of being simply a "film"? When you look at the Mona Lisa, do you see just a painting? Or do you see a timeless work of art that just leaves you astonished? When you visit the Eiffel Tower, do you stand there and shrug your shoulders, thinking that it is just another free standing tower? Or do you marvel at the sheer beauty and structure of it? With a film like The Box, one could say the same thing. It is beyond film. It is beyond art. It reaches into another level of mind, body and soul.

Set in Richmond, Virginia 1976, the story revolves around a couple who are met by a severely deformed stranger with an odd proposition. Placed before them is a box. Inside this box is a button. If they push this button, two things will occur. One, someone, somewhere, will die. And second, the young couple will receive $1 million in cash at their doorstep. The characters, who currently find themselves in debt, consider pushing the button and taking the money. However, once this initial conundrum is introduced, the story goes from slightly mysterious, to weird, to one of the craziest, most peculiar films of our time. Eventually, "the box" in question becomes the last thing that is essential to the film. The primary points that the movie touches upon are life, death, God, space, time, morals, greed, heaven, hell and everything in between. Kelly expertly deals with each subject carefully and thoughtfully, leaving you absolutely speechless.

Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, who play the married couple both give strong performances, and Frank Langella, who was nominated for Best Actor at this past year's Academy Awards, also gives a chilling turn as a sinister man on a puzzling mission. Part of Langella's terror was that every time he was on screen, you are forced to look at his horrifyingly deformed face which was created with some nifty CGI. In the back story, it is discovered that Langella's character was struck by lightning some time ago. Near the end of the film, he finally reveals who the masterminds are behind this ritualistic game of offering couples such bewildering opportunities. His answer? "The people who control the lightning".

But what makes The Box stand out most is its ability to bend the minds of audiences into a twizzler shape, and at the same time invent and re-invent the structure and narrative of the film medium in general. Kelly is not afraid to use his movie to take you out of this world and transport you into another one. The result is a bizarre, surreal, dreamy and nightmarish opus. While the trailer, which was cut by Warner Bros. makes the film out to be a mainstream thriller, it is actually a blend of genres that surpasses the majority of films released in recent years. It is not a perfect film, and in spite of some small short-comings, The Box is still a magnificent work of existential art that the movie industry has been short on producing for ages.