A deeper look into “Gifts…”

SPOILERS AHEAD

I started the film with an idea.

“What if I made a story where everybody is a really bad character?”

There are no good people in “Gifts.” However in making Jessica remorseful for her drunken mishap we can have at least some sympathy for her.

After the party from the night before she becomes objectified by the stalker. She loses her humanity and we see her try to fight to get it back with her ex boyfriend Jeff. Had they gotten back together perhaps the stalking would have ended there. Yet Jeff, as he says, has more self respect for himself and walks away from her entirely. This fuels the stalker’s interest in her even more.

In being objectified the stalker gives Jessica a doll. Like many children with toys they will pair their figures together as either adversaries or companions. The stalker was doing just that as well. She denies the doll time and time again until the stalker gives her no choice to accept it only by then its too late. At the end of the film the doll is broken and Jessica’s fate becomes the very same.

When we first see the gift box we hear a deep droning noise. This is the sound of wind pitched way down. Specifically it is the sound of wind blowing through the curtain blinds in Jessica’s apartment. It is a sort of audible foreshadow for what is to come. When she finally see’s the window is open at the end we clearly hear the wind blowing. Where before it was toned down as she was in denial, now she is coming to terms with her fate, even if she doesn’t know it just yet.

During her trek alone to Jeff’s work and back to her apartment she comes across two gifts left behind. Accommodating these is the use of fog. Whenever the stalker is nearby there is fog in the scene. You could say the fog is his essence. Perhaps it is not actually there, but more like something only she can see. Hence why there’s no fog when she is around Jeff or when her and Stacey find the first gift.

If we were to assume the stalker represents her guilt, or punishment, then we can assume a similar fate awaits Jeff and Stacey. Albeit in the form of something more fitting for them.

Creating this film couldn’t have been done alone. I had a wonderful team with me to help bring it to life. I am very thankful for them. I do have some more stories in the works so be sure to stay tuned for when those get announced!