Richard Kelly
The Box

"The Box" is the third work of the young and promising American director Richard Kelly, already behind a masterpiece that became a cult phenomenon like "Donnie Darko" and "Southland Tales - How the World Ends".

The film takes its cue from the short story "Button, Button" written by Richard Matheson, although there are differences between the book and its film adaptation.

Everything unfolds around a curious box with a red button and one question: would you be willing to press the button to earn a million dollars in exchange for the life of a person you don't know? This is the dilemma that hits a young married couple from Richmond, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden),
who must decide whether to heed a strange individual with unsettling physical features and mysterious demeanor, Arlington Stewart (played by an excellent, as well as impassive and almost robotic, Frank Langella), or simply return the box after 24 hours without anything happening.

An intriguing initial idea (which for Italians is also somewhat familiar given the musical comedy "Un mandarino per Teo") that is developed and explored very well, bringing the goal much beyond this simple initial stratagem, as the viewer will gradually discover, becoming increasingly involved as the minutes pass without ever being able to know what will happen next. The house is just a small space, as welcoming as it may be, it is just a dot compared to outer space and the immanence of certain unwritten laws that affect everything and everyone.

Kelly had already accustomed us well previously, and here he confirms himself at excellent levels, with a plot that is not too linear and detailed, lending itself to different interpretations and with an open ending. Elements already addressed in other films are well present, such as apocalyptic scenes, slow dialogues, and scenes that hide hidden meanings.

A genuinely engaging film halfway between a thriller and science fiction, without ever descending into banality, despite what many say.

It is not the case to reveal too much, but I would say that the film has the effect of striking and making one reflect at the end, arousing from
the beginning considerable curiosity about the choices or non-choices the couple will make, which could lead to disconcerting outcomes, and also leading to bitter conclusions about "the race".

One of the best products of recent years.