My experiences growing up—being the smallest kid in my class, being academically gifted, and having parents from different ethnic backgrounds—made me a frequent target of bullies. I was constantly fighting back, often ending up bruised and worn out. While I didn’t always win against bigger or older boys, they certainly felt the consequences afterward. This eventually stopped when a friend let me borrow his baseball bat after an encounter; it's not something I suggest as a solution, for legal reasons. Fortunately, our mothers were friends, so when the bully ran home crying to his mom, she sided with me, saying he deserved what happened. I rarely do this, but I watched the special features on the DVD before seeing the movie itself (I usually save that for later). Edgerton’s first effort as a director and writer seemed to accomplish what he set out to do—create a psychological thriller in the style of directors like Sir Alfred Hitchcock and David Fincher. The three leads, Edgerton, Jason Bateman, and Rebecca Hall (who I repeatedly mistook for Anne Hathaway!), all delivered strong performances. I wasn't always impressed by Bateman’s earlier work, but after watching 'Arrested Development' with a friend some years ago, I came to appreciate his acting, and he is truly outstanding in this film. If it had been a bigger-budget production, like one directed by David Fincher, I believe he could have earned an Academy Award nomination—his performance is that exceptional. I did notice a few things later on when I really started analyzing the plot, but those didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the film. It's highly recommended. It’s absolutely worth buying and watching again, which isn’t something I can say about most movies these days. I hope Edgerton continues to act, because he shows real promise in that area, but also keeps writing scripts and directing. Based solely on 'The Gift', I will be a fan for life.

Source on TMDB