The Gift
Simon and Robyn Callum (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) are a married couple moving from Chicago to California while recovering from a recent miscarriage. They find a nice home near the place Simon used to live and decide to settle in.While getting furniture for their house, a man (Joel Edgerton) approaches Simon and claims to know him from high school. Simon doesn't recognize him until the man says his name is Gordon Mosely, or simply Gordo. He politely welcomes the couple to the area and leaves.Gordo first drops off a bottle of wine on the couple's doorstep as a welcoming gift. He later shows up while Simon is at work. Robyn invites him in, and takes him on a tour of the house. In one room, they find a large toy monkey, and Robyn tells Gordo that Simon has a fobia of monkeys. Robyn invites Gordo to stay for dinner. When Simon joins them, Gordo tells Robyn about how Simon used to have a campaign for class president and using "Simon Says" as his slogan, and it would get him anything he wanted. A little too drunk from wine, Gordo makes a comment that "Simon Says..." applies to all the nice things Simon has in his life (great home, beautiful wife, nice job, etc.) which makes the couple a bit uncomfortable.Simon doesn't approve of Gordo visiting them, even crossing his name out over his phone number on the fridge and writing "Weirdo", as that was Gordo's nickname in high school. Gordo continues to come to their house when Simon is at work, and he leave gifts like a bunch of koi fish for the pond in front of their home, and he gets their cable TV working. He walks into the kitchen and sees "Weirdo" written on the fridge and leaves offended. To Robyn's surprise, Gordo later invites the couple over for a dinner party.Simon and Robyn go to a surprisingly nice home for the party. Gordo tells them that the other couple he invited just canceled on them. During conversation, he mentions that he is not married. Gordo then gets a phone call which he claims is from work and he leaves Simon and Robyn home alone. Simon then starts making rude comments about Gordo, saying that he has a crush on Robyn and wants to do perverted things to her. Simon then suggests they go exploring the house. They find a bedroom with women's clothing, as well as what appears to be a child's bedroom. They hear Gordo's car returning and they run back to the living room. When Gordo comes back inside, Simon asks him what he does for work. Gordo says that he lied and that he actually took a call from his ex-wife and admitted that it was a heated conversation. Simon insists that Robyn leave the room and Simon forcefully tells Gordo that he doesn't want him visiting them anymore.The next morning, Robyn thinks she hears noises while home alone. She goes outside and discovers that the koi fish are dead, and their dog, Mr. Bojangles, is nowhere to be found. Simon later goes back to Gordo's house, being greeted at the door by a woman whom he thinks is Gordo's wife. It turns out that Gordo doesn't actually live there. The Callums call the cops and find out that the couple in the house did know Gordo, and he had a key, since he handled their leased cars, and he had apparently used the key to get inside while the couple was on vacation. Without sufficient evidence, the cops can't do more than question Gordo, and they observe that Gordo would know who sent the authorities to him.Simon is being considered for a promotion at work, and after a good meeting with the two men who head the company, a colleague tells him that he has only one competitor for the position, Danny McDonald (PJ Byrne).Robyn continues to feel like Gordo is watching her at home. She takes some prescription pills that she pinched from their next door neighbor, and she faints in the bedroom. She awakens to find herself lying on the bed.At night, Robyn walks into the kitchen and thinks she hears a noise. A thump is heard at the door. It's Bojangles, safely returned home. Robyn wakes Simon up and they talk in the kitchen as Simon mentions he was going to tell Robyn that he got a promotion at work, but he found her passed out. He also takes out the pills he found and thinks that Robyn has had a relapse after previously abusing pills during their stay in Chicago. Robyn argues that Simon doesn't believe her suspicions about Gordo. Simon just thinks that the man has had a negative influence on their lives and it would be best to forget about him and move on.Over the next few months, Robyn becomes pregnant again. The couple lives on just fine until Robyn is told that a man is watching her at work. It's Gordo. Later, the couple finds a letter that apologizes for him bothering them, and he addresses Simon by saying he was willing to let "bygones be bygones". Simon denies knowing what Gordo is talking about.The couple goes to a baby shower for Robyn. She later takes a walk with Simon's sister Joan (Katie Aselton). Robyn asks her if she knew anything about Gordo. Joan says that it was reported that Simon and his friend Greg (David Denman) found Gordo in a car being molested by an older student, and this made everyone think he was gay.Robyn looks up Greg's name online and finds that he's a chiropractor. She makes an appointment to see him and starts to ask him about what happened between Simon and Gordo. Greg does not want to answer her questions, but finally tells her that Simon made up the story about Gordo being molested because Simon was a bully and frequently targeted Gordo. This story also led to Gordo's father trying to burn him alive after thinking he was gay, resulting in his father's arrest.Robyn goes to Simon's home office and searches his desk, finding two files. One contains information about Gordo, and the other is about Danny McDonald, the other finalist for the job that Simon is hoping to get. She sees a mugshot of Gordo, as he was apparently arrested years ago for burglary. Robyn later confronts Simon when he gets home, and he callously states that while he did not know what Gordo's father tried doing to him, he doesn't care since his own dad was hard on him, but he toughed it out and doesn't feel he's done anything wrong. He starts to comment on Robyn taking pills, and she slaps him, saying he's just as much a bully now as he was back then. Simon later apologized to her and says he did a background check on Gordo to protect themselves.Simon goes to a bar where Gordo is hosting a trivia contest. Afterwards, Simon finds Gordo in a parking garage and gives him a half-hearted apology, mainly because Robyn told him to. Gordo says it's too late for that, and while Simon thinks he's done with the past, the past isn't done with him. Simon knocks a basket out of Gordo's hands, spilling papers everywhere. Simon then kicks Gordo as he tries to pick them up, then presses him against the pavement, demanding that he accept his apology. Simon leaves and goes home to tell Robyn that Gordo won't bother them again.Simon gets the job, and the Callums host a dinner party to celebrate. A clattering sound is heard from upstairs, followed by another, and then something is thrown through the glass door, triggering the security system. Simon runs outside and sees someone running away. He tackles the man to the ground, thinking it's Gordo, but it is really Danny McDonald, angry with Simon for fabricating information about him that not only cost him the promotion, but it also cost him his current job. Police sirens are heard, and Danny starts begging to be let go. Simon relents and lets him leave. Robyn then announces that she's going into labor.Robyn gives birth to a healthy baby boy. However, she tells Simon that she doesn't want to go back home with him due to all the drama and madness he's caused. When he leaves her room, he gets a call from work saying he's being let go after word got aout that he lied about Danny.Simon returns home to find a big wrapped box outside. In it is a baby bassinet the, and three numbered boxes. The first one contains a key to their house, showing how Gordo has been getting in and around their house. The second box has a tape that recorded Simon mocking Gordo when he left them to take his phone call. The third box contains a DVD of recorded footage showing Simon and Robyn having dinner and sleeping. Then there's footage of Robyn when she passed out, followed by Gordo wearing a monkey mask (to spite Simon since he has a phobia of monkeys) and pulling Robyn onto the bed, stroking her and waving to the mirror. The footage cuts off, leaving Simon to think that Gordo may have raped Robyn. While Simon watches the DVD, Gordo visits Robyn in the hospital with flowers to congratulate her on her baby. He has a bruise on his face and his arm in a sling. Robyn asks if Simon did it. Gordo simply states that people will get what they deserve and he exits.Simon rushes back to the hospital and finds Gordo getting into an elevator, but he fails to catch him. Simon runs out the hospital to give chase and gets a call from Gordo. He demands to know if Gordo really did what Simon thinks he did. Gordo says no, but then suggests maybe he did, and this is what happens when a bad idea is put into someone's head.Simon goes to find the baby to get a better look at his eyes. It still doesn't let him know whether the baby is Simon's or Gordo's. Robyn holds the baby and looks at Simon with displeasure. Simon slumps against the wall and quietly weeps, knowing his whole life is now ruined. Gordo briefly watches Simon before leaving and removing the sling from his arm... his mission to heartlessly destroy Simon's life is now completed.
sadist, revenge, suspenseful, violence, flashback