The Box (2009)Every action has consequences, and people are quick to justify away those consequences for something self-serving. The Box (2009) is a science fiction thriller adapted for the screen by Richard Kelly from a short story by Richard Matheson, titled "Button, Button". Set in Richmond, Virginia (circa 1976), The Box is the story of the Lewis family, including Norma (Cameron Diaz) and her husband, Arthur (James Marsden). Norma teaches at the school where her son, Walter (Sam Oz Stone), attends, and Arthur designs camera lenses for spacecraft at NASA. One day, a man calling himself Arlington Steward (Frank Langella) approaches Norma about a box he previously left for her--a box with a big red button on it...and an offer.
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Once Arlington explains to Norma the conditions of the offer, the conundrum becomes clear. He puts it to her that should she (or her husband) press the big, red button, someone who they've never met will die, but that he will return with a briefcase of one million (tax-free) dollars for them to keep. If such a scenario sounds familiar, it is a riff on the classic psychology experiment called the "Milgram experiment". In this case, however, it isn't merely the torture of a stranger but their murder which raises the stakes. It is a call out against the inherent hypocrisy people adopt in a society. We claim that we uphold values like the "golden rule", but in reality, each of us justifies by degrees cruelties inflicted upon one another as "normal" or "understandable". It is a true test of conscience, presented to Norma and Arthur in the form of a tangible object with an equally tangible temptation. Film buffs should recognize Richard Kelly as the brainchild behind a couple of bravura science fiction movies that dealt with metaphysics (by varying degrees), namely Donnie Darko and Southland Tales. In a way, these films--along with The Box--form a kind of metaphysical triptych, interested in examining how super science twists our understanding of so-called normal society and our place in it. In the case of the eponymous box, as Arthur observes, there is no discernable way (with 1976 technology) that pressing the button could transmit any kind of data to Arlington, thus informing him of their choice. But Arthur has a placard in his basement workspace emblazoned with a quote by his namesake, Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." So despite Arthur's scientific acumen, he fails to observe this crucial detail; and wow, is there some radical technology in The Box! From "water coffins" that teleport you across space and time to resurrecting the dead, there are numerous examples to be found. And to think that at the start of The Box, life was so simple for Norma and Arthur. Both of them experience an impediment to their finances which motivate them to push the button. Yet it should be said that the Lewis family hardly appears to be destitute, so any desperation we are led to believe that they experience is tempered by their upper-middle class home, et cetera. That brings us back to those pesky "justifications" which each of us faces when tempted to take something that isn't really ours.
The Box failed to get traction from critics and audiences when it released fifteen years ago, not even attaining the same badge of being a cult classic like Donnie Darko (and to a lesser extent, Southland Tales). I suspect that some of this had to do with adapting an already popular story, which had even been previously adapted into an episode of "The Twilight Zone" (the Eighties revival series). I think that many audiences passed on this as a result, which is a pity because there are precious few filmmakers who so readily embrace the weird and metaphysical like Kelly does. There is a classical feel to Kelly's science fiction thriller, not least of which is because of the powerful musical score done by members of Arcade Fire, like Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, along with Owen Pallett. Don't expect the same kind of needle drops from Donnie Darko and Southland Tales, although they are present and period appropriate, like "Bell Bottom Blues" by Derek & The Dominos. (Coincidence that Kelly also wrote--but did not direct--a movie called Domino?) The story of The Box is such a simple yet effective one that it forms the foundation for the movie itself. Beyond this, Kelly gets very experimental. I'll withhold spoilers, but suffice to say, the typewritten prologue about Arlington is more than just an affectation, and represents but one of many layers of authority that dominate the world of The Box--our world. In a way, aspects of the story that become, frankly, confusing toward the end only seem to add to the unsettling feeling that constantly presses down on Norma and Arthur, as they come to terms with their choice and the revelations they experience at every turn. Everything seems to go deeper and deeper, and the both of them come to recognize that the world is far from the simple, straightforward one they've been presented with--as it is with all of us--as "reality". The mind reels to contemplate just how complex such a ubiquitous thing like reality truly is, and even The Box begins to buckle under such pressure.
Recommended for: Fans of an intelligent yet mysterious thriller that peels away layers upon layers of conspiracy with each passing scene. The Box strikes a different chord than Kelly's earlier films, but it is worth watching for its enjoyable performances, concept, and the deliciously cynical undertones that occupy this morality play.
The Box failed to get traction from critics and audiences when it released fifteen years ago, not even attaining the same badge of being a cult classic like Donnie Darko (and to a lesser extent, Southland Tales). I suspect that some of this had to do with adapting an already popular story, which had even been previously adapted into an episode of "The Twilight Zone" (the Eighties revival series). I think that many audiences passed on this as a result, which is a pity because there are precious few filmmakers who so readily embrace the weird and metaphysical like Kelly does. There is a classical feel to Kelly's science fiction thriller, not least of which is because of the powerful musical score done by members of Arcade Fire, like Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, along with Owen Pallett. Don't expect the same kind of needle drops from Donnie Darko and Southland Tales, although they are present and period appropriate, like "Bell Bottom Blues" by Derek & The Dominos. (Coincidence that Kelly also wrote--but did not direct--a movie called Domino?) The story of The Box is such a simple yet effective one that it forms the foundation for the movie itself. Beyond this, Kelly gets very experimental. I'll withhold spoilers, but suffice to say, the typewritten prologue about Arlington is more than just an affectation, and represents but one of many layers of authority that dominate the world of The Box--our world. In a way, aspects of the story that become, frankly, confusing toward the end only seem to add to the unsettling feeling that constantly presses down on Norma and Arthur, as they come to terms with their choice and the revelations they experience at every turn. Everything seems to go deeper and deeper, and the both of them come to recognize that the world is far from the simple, straightforward one they've been presented with--as it is with all of us--as "reality". The mind reels to contemplate just how complex such a ubiquitous thing like reality truly is, and even The Box begins to buckle under such pressure.
Recommended for: Fans of an intelligent yet mysterious thriller that peels away layers upon layers of conspiracy with each passing scene. The Box strikes a different chord than Kelly's earlier films, but it is worth watching for its enjoyable performances, concept, and the deliciously cynical undertones that occupy this morality play.