Coherence (2013) - Review in english

There is an expression in english that is often used to describe people or situations out of the ordinary: "it's a real gem". This is exactly how we classify the movie Coherence. But not for its millionaire budget, on the contrary, with an extremely limited budget it develops a complex and challenging narrative that can overshadow several blockbusters. Science fiction from the director James Ward Byrkit, with suspense and terror pinches, the film features four couples, Emily and Kevin (Emily Baldoni and Maury Sterling), Beth and Hugh (Elizabeth Gracen and Hugo Armstrong), Lee and Mike (Lorena Scafaria and Nicholas Brendon) and Laurie and Amir (Lauren Maher and Alex Manugian) that come together to make a dinner party at the home of one of them. The same night, a comet called Miller passes very close to Earth. Strange events are triggered, such as cellphones breaking, blackouts and people acting differently from how they usually do, turning the quiet dinner on a busy night of curious events.

The director (Byrkit) did a superb job since the film was recorded in just five nights, practically in one set (a house). The actors did not know what was going to be made​​, which contributed greatly to the suspense of the film. To them were given the characters and reported some personality traits and mood for the day of recording, then putting the triggers for what would pass and shooting what resulted. Here we must also highlight the cast. Although the movie does not have any known name, the actors do not disappoint and deliver excellent performances. The 8 characters have their importance well shared, with Emily (Emily Baldoni) being the protagonist.

The screenplay, also written by Byrkit, is bright and complex, exploiting to the full all its nuances. Developed with intelligence, everything that appears throughout the film is no accident: speeches, contextualization and objects. The smallest of details provides information that changes the understanding of the movie. Thus, the characters are part of a puzzle, making us constantly think about how each of its parts fits into the overall context of the film. Even the theory of Schrödinger's cat (a paradox of quantum physics) was used to make the film even more exciting. To make everything clear to the viewer, the characters themselves make notes to establish some things, being the protagonist a key part in monitoring and understanding the facts.

The photography, although simple, is so effective that makes it darker and more intimate. Filmed entirely with a hand-held camera and with some dark scenes, little can be seen in some scenes. These moments of pure darkness do not interfere at all at the understanding of the movie, but convey the right amount of tension and suspense to the viewer. The soundtrack complements the dark and suspenseful environment desired by the director. Alternating between quieter moments, with a discreet pace, and others more agitated, conveying a more frantic or dark beat.

Coherence is a movie full of twists that will leave you thinking about its many possibilities. Some people may want to watch it again, not only to understand it better, but mainly to capture several details that go unnoticed.

Original title: Coherence

Director: James Ward Byrkit

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2866360/