There’s something intellectually satisfying in seeing a film that challenges your imagination in all the right ways. If done well, you leave the experience with a sense of wonder. You admire the fact that the creators of this work have delivered something truly new and (hopefully) unique. Something that keeps the gears in your brain moving as you sort out the pieces in this particular jigsaw puzzle…
Which is a very nice way of saying the James Ward Byrkit written/directed Coherence is one hell of a mind-fuck of a film.
The story starts out simple enough: A group of disparate friends get together for a dinner. Though they are all friendly enough, there are noticeable tensions here and there between them, though nothing Earth shattering or soap opera level outrageous.
That same night a comet is scheduled to pass close to Earth and, as it does, the electricity in the household -and neighborhood- is knocked out.
But the friends in the house realize that another home some two blocks down still has light. Two of the guests decide they should go there and investigate…
What follows from that point on is quite the journey.
Before I get to the very good of this film, first let me point out the not so good. To begin with, Coherence is a very, very low budget feature and it shows. The direction/lighting/editing, while not terrible, isn’t as sharp as one would like and at times, especially toward the beginning, it feels as if you’re watching home movies of a not so interesting party.
But if you get past these opening scenes (about fifteen minutes or so worth of them), the film suddenly takes off and finds its voice and pace. By then you understand the individual characters (the cast consists of only eight people) and are as fearful for their situation as you are curious about what will happen next.
For that’s when all the really trippy stuff begins.
I’m tempted to not go any farther than that for fear of spoilers, but offer this much: The movie involves split realities and the interactions between alternate versions of these eight characters. There are many surprises, both subtle and not so subtle, and an ending that kicks you in the teeth (pay attention to protagonist Em’s story of the Norwegian comet early in the movie…it clarifies what happens toward the end).
Though low on budget, this movie’s story is incredibly, deliciously high in concept and very smart. The best way to describe Coherence is that it is like a really great extended Twilight Zone episode. Considering how much I admire The Twilight Zone, this is very high praise.
If you like your science fiction to be challenging and intellectual, Coherence is a (pardon the pun) no-brainer.
Highly recommended.