Gifted

 

In terms of directorial debuts in film, easily one of my favourites of the past decade is Marc Webb’s (500) Days of Summer. Ever since its release back in summer 2009, it has always been one of my favourite films dealing with romance and relationships. Naturally, it made me excited to see what Webb would do next. Ironically, Webb’s next two films were The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. While I liked both films upon release, I will say that my enjoyment has dissipated due to problems regarding tone and story-telling which become more and more apparent after looking closely. For those reasons, I can understand why Webb would want to return to a smaller, more intimate landscape with Gifted. Much like (500) Days of Summer, Gifted is being released amidst the spectacle of the summer movie season and is also a refreshing alternative for those who want to see something other than super-heroics, grand worlds or robots in disguise (although those first two options are still appealing to me if done right).

Gifted follows the story of Frank Adler (Chris Evans), a man trying to raise his niece Mary (McKenna Grace) after her mother and Frank’s sister Diane, a genius mathematician, tragically passed away. Mary is also incredibly gifted when it comes to math, something which becomes quickly apparent to her new teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate) and her principal (Elizabeth Marvel). When Frank turns down the principal’s offer of full scholarship for Mary at an academy, claiming that he wants Mary to be more social and happy in her life, Mary’s grandmother and Frank’s mother Evelyn (Lindsey Duncan) comes with plans to take Mary away and give her the life that Frank claims Diane never wanted for her. Thus, a struggle for custody ensues.

Gifted is first and foremost an ‘actors’ film, and the cast deliver mostly first-rate work. Chris Evans ably escapes the shadow of Captain America with his thoughtful and sensitive work as Frank; this is a man trying to provide for his niece whilst battling doubts over whether he’s the best carer for her. Evans plays that uncertainty beautifully, especially in scenes where others confront him with that frightening possibility. It was vital for the actress playing Mary to match Evans beat for beat during their scenes together, and fortunately McKenna Grace is up to the challenge. She is fantastic in this role, brimming with both grace and social uncertainty; Grace is both a soft and formidable presence, and her performance always feels genuine. Most importantly, she shares great on-screen chemistry with Evans, and their discussions are both wryly funny and touching. Another outstanding performance (perhaps the best in the film) comes from Lindsey Duncan as Evelyn. It would have been so easy to make Evelyn the scheming and one-dimensional villainess. Credit must go to Webb, Duncan and screen-writer Tom Flynn for making Evelyn a much more rounded character. Evelyn has moments of genuine warmth between both Frank and Mary, which makes her icy insults slice even deeper (and make no mistake; some of Evelyn’s lines are less verbal barbs and more verbal shrapnel slicing right through her prey). Duncan is nothing short of sensational in this role, with her two stand-out moments coming during a courtroom speech and during her final scene in the film. Duncan mixes Evelyn’s icy-cold disdain towards Frank and her daughter with an underlying tenderness, which shines through when she’s given time with Mary. You never lose track of why Evelyn’s this way and what her intentions are, even though her methods may leave something to be desired and even cause some people to despise her in certain moments. Jenny Slate offers solid support as Mary’s teacher Bonnie, even though she becomes more of a background character as the film progresses. Even characters who would be less important in other films, such as the lawyers and judge in the courtroom scenes, are brought to life by the terrific actors and Flynn’s compelling script. John M. Jackson emanates impatient vigour as Judge Edward Nichols, John Finn plays Evelyn’s lawyer Aubrey Highsmith as a tenacious bulldog (especially when he goes after Frank) and, best of all, Glenn Plummer is a wonderfully charming and cool highlight as Frank’s lawyer Greg Cullen. Add on a small yet memorably uptight turn from Elizabeth Marvel as the principal who thinks she has all the right answers, and the cast is excellent. But I did find one weak link, and that is Octavia Spencer as Frank and Mary’s neighbour Roberta. However, I think that this is more the script’s fault than Spencer’s; you can see Spencer trying, but Roberta just comes across as more of a stereotype than an actual character. She feels like a bunch of character traits thrown together with no real cohesion. Considering both how great the other characters and actors are and how wonderful Spencer can be in other projects (such as The Help and Hidden Figures), neither Roberta or Spencer left much of an impression on me here.

Another area in which Gifted thrives is in the discussion of its themes. The thematic material of who is the best choice to take care of a child and how should a child with extraordinary skills be treated are explored with admirably even-handed results. There are both pros and cons in both Frank and Evelyn’s arguments, and Webb, Flynn and the actors are very skilled in exploring all sides of the debates. The courtroom scenes aid in these arguments; whilst there’s a chance of preachiness, the setting of the courtroom allows everyone to delve into these debates without coming across as a sermon. Most effectively, the film often allows the characters to breathe without making these arguments out loud, making it more effective in the moments when these points are raised.

I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating in greater detail that Tom Flynn’s script is simply superb. There is nary a conversation between characters which doesn’t ensnare the attention, and whilst fair credit must go to the actors, the words they are speaking are of great intelligence, wit and humanity. What’s more, Webb knows that the actors and script are two wonderful weapons in his arsenal and he channels them perfectly. This is very understated direction, but this is the right way to go; Gifted relies more explicitly on the actors and the script than on flashy direction, and Webb wisely realises this. He knows that sometimes you just need to have a strong script and then capture tremendously skilled actors bring those words and scenarios to life. Both Webb and Flynn treat the audience with respect, only resorting to manipulation on a couple of occasions. Even then, when I knew I was being manipulated, I couldn’t help but become emotional at certain scenes. There is a definite emotional resonance to this film’s story, and credit goes to everyone involved for bringing that emotion to life in a way which feels mostly natural. I’ll freely admit that there were some scenes which made me teary-eyed.

Along with that, Gifted is simply a gorgeous film to look at. Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh bathes the Georgia locations in a unforced sun-drenched beauty before capturing the Boston scenes with a grey, almost functional style which perfectly fits the character of Evelyn. Bill Pankow’s editing is also on-point, never lingering for much longer than necessary and keeping the story moving at a consistently engaging pace. On top of that, Gifted has a solid score and soundtrack. Composer Rob Simonsen, while being heavy-handed at times, nonetheless fashions an overall effective score which adeptly taps into the emotional landscape of the film. Meanwhile, the songs used are very well-chosen, from Cat Stevens’ The Wind to Johnny McDaid and Gary Lighbody’s This is How You Walk On.

There are aspects of Gifted’s story which struck a very personal chord with me, and perhaps made me more susceptible to becoming emotionally invested in the story. I really found that the film offered an honest depiction of how a scenario like this would affect the different parties. That includes not only the two sides fighting for custody, but the child in the middle. For me, Gifted offered a very even, intelligent and emotionally sound exploration of what a conflict like this looks like. While the film may have some more Hollywood moments towards the end, the actors (particularly Evans, Grace and Duncan) and their immersion in their roles continue to stick to the emotional course. Gifted is a real treat, and if you can’t catch it in cinemas (with all the bigger films coming out over the next few weeks, I can’t see it being on the big screen for long), I highly urge you to check it out when it’s released on home media. It’s a smaller film, but ‘small’ can’t be applied to the level of commitment applied by all those in front and behind the camera, nor my feeling of having watched something special as the end credits rolled.

Rating: 4 out of 5