Coherence (film)
| Coherence | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | James Ward Byrkit |
| Written by | James Ward Byrkit |
| Story by | James Ward Byrkit, Alex Manugian |
| Starring | Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon |
| Cinematography | Nic Sadler |
| Edited by | Lance Pereira |
| Music by | Kristin Øhrn Dyrud |
Production companies | Bellanova Films, Ugly Duckling Films |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope Laboratories |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Coherence is a 2013 American science fiction thriller film that was directed by James Ward Byrkit, and is his first theatrical feature film.[1] The movie had its world debut on September 19, 2013 at the Austin Fantastic Fest and stars Emily Baldoni as a woman who must deal with strange occurrences following a comet sighting.[2]
Synopsis
Emily (Emily Baldoni) and her boyfriend Kevin (Maury Sterling) are two of several people attending a dinner party at Mike's (Nicholas Brendon) house. Kevin's ex-girlfriend Laurie (Lauren Maher) will be there, making things somewhat tense for both Kevin and Emily. The dinner party goes fairly well until the power goes out following a comet sighting. They discover that a house down the road still has power and a few of them decide to investigate, only to find that it's Mike's house. Several strange and bizarre occurrences follow.
Cast
- Emily Baldoni as Emily (as Emily Foxler)
- Maury Sterling as Kevin
- Nicholas Brendon as Mike
- Elizabeth Gracen as Beth
- Alex Manugian as Amir
- Lauren Maher as Laurie
- Hugo Armstrong as Hugh
- Lorene Scafaria as Lee
Production
Ward Byrkit came up with the idea for Coherence after deciding that he wanted to test the idea of shooting a film "without a crew and without a script".[3] He chose to film the movie in his own home and developed the film's science fiction aspect out of necessity, as he wanted to "make a living room feel bigger than just a living room".[3] While Ward Byrkit did have a specific idea for how the film would unfold, he selected improvisational actors and gave them the basic outline of their characters, motivations, and major plot points.[4]
Reception
Critical reception for Coherence has been predominantly positive and the film currently holds a rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews.[5][6] Much of the film's praise centered upon its cast, which Bloody Disgusting and Fangoria cited as a highlight.[7][8] Film School Rejects gave Coherence a positive review, stating that the film's cast was "remarkably grounded for how complicated and bizarre the story is."[9] Dread Central commented on the film's themes and wrote, "What's frightening about the story is how willing the characters are to abandon the reality they know in favor of one that may be a little more appealing. Whether that's a byproduct of the comet and the rift it creates or caused by the characters undermining everyone else around them to get the life they really want is the fundamental idea of Coherence and what it makes it so unsettling."[10]
Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly praised the film, granting it a B+ rating: "In an impressive big-screen debut from James Ward Byrkit, eight friends discover metaphysics on their menu when a passing comet creates a set of doppelgängers down the road, enjoying their own identical soiree. Byrkit makes the most of the claustrophobic one-house setting, ratcheting up the dread and paranoia as his characters make a string of seemingly reasonable but ultimately wrongheaded decisions. The star-free cast is great too, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer vet Nicholas Brendon poking fun at himself by playing an actor who used to be on a TV show... Coherence is a satisfying and chilling addition to the ever-growing pal-ocalypse subgenre. And really, you have to love a film that not only explains the concept of Schrödinger's cat but also includes a joke about it ("I'm allergic!").[11]
Stephen Dalton of The Hollywood Reporter also enjoyed the film: "An ingenious micro-budget science-fiction nerve-jangler which takes place entirely at a suburban dinner party, Coherence is a testament to the power of smart ideas and strong ensemble acting over expensive visual pyrotechnics... A group of eight friends gather for dinner... Marital tensions and sexual secrets sizzle just below the surface, but relationship drama is soon overshadowed by astrological weirdness when a comet passes close to Earth, shutting down power supplies and phone connections... It slowly becomes clear that the fabric of reality has been radically remixed by the comet's arrival. We are definitely not in Kansas any more... Byrkit only gave his cast limited information about the narrative loops and swerves ahead, encouraging a semi-improvised naturalism that feels authentically tense."[12]
Awards
- Next Wave Best Screenplay at the Austin Fantastic Fest (2013, won)[13]
- Maria Award for Best Screenplay at the Sitges Film Festival (2013, won)[13]
- Carnet Jove Jury Award for best In Competition at the Sitges Film Festival (2013, won)[14]
- Black Tulip Award for Best Feature Debut at the Imagine Film Festival (2014, won)[15]
- Imagine Movie Zone Award, Special Mention at the Imagine Film Festival (2014, won)[15]
References
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas. "Independent to sell Coherence". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Hunter, Rob. "'Coherence' Trailer Teases a Film That Engages Your Mind Before Bending It". FSR. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ a b Topel, Fred. "Fantastic Fest 2013: James Ward Byrkit & Emily Foxler on Coherence". Crave Online. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Brown, Todd. "COHERENCE: Watch The Theatrical Trailer For James Ward Byrkit's Stellar Indie SciFi". Twitch Film. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Prime, Samuel B. "Fantastic Fest 2013: Coherence, Patrick, Why Don't You Play in Hell?, & The Congress". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Coherence". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Macomber, Shawn. "COHERENCE (Fantastic Fest Movie Review)". Fangoria. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Cooper, Patrick. "[Fantastic Fest '13 Review] Get Paranoid As Hell with the Twisty Sci-Fi Thriller Coherence". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Treveloni, Michael. "Fantastic Fest: Coherence is an Excellent, Comprehensible Mess". FSR. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Tinnin, Drew. "Coherence (review)". Dread Central. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Collis, Clark (June 12, 2014). "Coherence (2014)". Entertainment Weekly: 50.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (6/13/2014). "Coherence: Film Review: Cosmic Catastrophe comes to Dinner in first-time director James Ward Byrkit's Smart, Spooky, Low-Budget Sci-Fi Shocker". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b "'Coherence' Trailer Introduces Psychological Puzzle". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ "Sitges - 46ed. Festival Internacional de Catalunya (11/10 - 20/10)". Sitges Film Festival. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ a b "And the winners are..." IFF. Retrieved 8 June 2014.