Coherence

5g

Coherence_360P

The premise might have worked but the characters were really annoying and made the most idiotic decisions so the script is to blame there. I find out after the movie that the dialog was mostly improvised and boy does it show. Real wooden. As this was shot on predominantly one set, a house, you soon grow tired visually and possibly with an additional headache because the hand-held camera-work is a nightmare to endure. The story is preposterous with an initial interesting comet overhead and weird things happening idea turns terribly into a possible drugging and then into an affair accusation. Stupid.

One of the more creative movies I've ever seen. The premise showed great promise, and it's fleshed out about as far as you could take it. The problem is... things accelerate at such a high rate, that you quickly figure out that the details don't matter. If the movie had a smaller scale, or a more claustrophobic feel, I think it would have worked better. In a mind-bending movie like this, usually noticing details is what pieces everything together. But here, most of what happens turns out to not be of any consequence. The ending only serves to ram this point home - it seems like they just ran out of ideas and wrapped it up as quickly as possible. I think this was a good film... but with a steadier pace, a tighter narrative, and a stronger finish, it could have been great.

Eight friends get together for dinner while a comet is passing overhead. After a power blackout across the neighbourhood strange events start occurring. A clever drama, with an interesting anchoring in scientific theory. Very intriguing, as the events unfold, especially as you don't know where this could or will lead. Due to the originality of the concept and plot, the options are almost endless. Unfortunately, that's where the movie falls short of greatness. Having presented this wonderfully original idea and developed the plot quite well around it, writer-director James Ward Byrkit doesn't quite know where to go with it. The ending is very disappointing, especially after all the potential the movie had for something profound or impactful.

Re-energizing the low budget scifi genre, this mind bender centers around a single dinner party on a night where a comet is passing over Earth, causing some strange occurrences. The film keeps you at the edge of your seat from the first frame to the last, primarily a result of the experimental production process by which director James Ward Byrkit only gave the actors notes about their goals for each scene (there was no script). This allowed the actors to fully improvise the moments when and how they'd attempt to achieve their goals. The tight setting and masterful editing keeps us super close to the action, sometimes purposefully uncomfortably close. The result is that 'Coherence' becomes an instant scifi crowd pleaser...and hopefully the start of a new filmmaking trend. The twists and turns kept me thinking for days, and I can't wait to watch it again. See it with friends -- I guarantee it'll spark some really fun debates.

I admit that the premise was pretty cool, but the way the characters act in this film defies any and all credible explanation. When some strange things begin to occur the characters immediately jump to the most outrageous conclusions without a hint of hesitation. For example, after a neighborhood blackout a couple of guys return from an outing with a metal case containing pictures of everyone in the group. A real person would assume a joke is being played on them or that someone is having a little fun at their expense. Not this group of people. They immediately assume some unexplainable event must be occurring. Why? Because the plot needs them to. They make absolutely no attempt to find a logical explanation for the events that are going on. To the contrary, based on a single paragraph out of a random quantum mechanics book they all assume that what is happening must be supernatural. From there the movie continues to devolve into a series of ridiculous character actions and motivations that defy any semblance of human nature. In fact, it was beyond ridiculous, I would go so far as to say it was unwatchable. If you don't require believable explanations for character motivations then you might be able to enjoy this movie. Otherwise, I'd say skip it.

and so would my rating, if possible, break out the limits of 1-10 What is most funny is that we cannot be sure of absolutely anything depicted, because it is likely this movie is only limited period of a story far beyond it's frame. It is clearly shown that Laurie and Mike have no recollection of each other, as if they haven't met before. A director's clue is almost explicit in line "I guess it must be another girl that Kevin dated and Amir is hooking up with". Besides, it is stated the technology failures occurred during the day of the dinner party, the comet was affecting the world throughout some time. The whole "original house" may not even be as original, because the group goes outside to watch the comet, and when they return in, one glass on the table is broken. It seems the have changed the entire setting (the house itself) as a unit. Bonus clue for the never-ending ending debate: there are two rings after the comet falling apart. If material objects are preserved, so may be are people as well.. Especially if we consider another line told by Lee (or someone else), how the house is the box and they are the Schroedinger's cat. Therefore anyone in the house is not affected by outside turmoils. Original Emily has left her double in the bathtub, in the house. She simply.. cannot be dead or evaporated. Besides, if the strange effects started before the nighttime of previous day, why would they end with the sunrise? Another interesting phenomenon is the last house itself. It seems not to have been impacted at all, by the comet. No note, no one knocking, no interferences according to their behavior. The other interesting phenomenon are the electric blackouts, happening for unknown reason. In one interview the director clued on following Emily at all times. However these blackouts are cutting us from her, and that may also be significant. The last thing I'd like to mention is the scene by the car, where Emily and Kevin meet, and realize they're not from the same realities. This scene is one of the most eerie scenes I have ever seen. Thank you for this movie, it is a treasure for humanity.

The weirdest thing about this movie is that so many people review it favorably. What I saw was a bunch of actors trying to improvise a movie, stringing together supermarket-magazine physics with time-warp and doppelganger clichés, incessantly talking and cross-talking like college students on a high, from time to time coming out with embarrassingly unconvincing bursts of outrage. Never in the history of film, drama, or fiction have characters in a crisis come up with so many half-baked theories and plans at so dizzying a pace. Sex and fisticuffs, as well as "just-normal-life" subplots, are injected with an incoherence that the film's title must be referring to. Maybe the explanation for the rave reviews is that there are actually two or more of Incoherence, and the one I saw was the bad one.

I was fortunate enough to catch this at a local screening in Los Angeles recently and I have to admit that this film took me completely by surprise! I knew some details before going into see this film: Low Budget, quick shooting schedule, etc. so I was preparing myself for a bit of a tough ride. I was sooooo happy to see that this was not the case AT ALL! Smart dialogue, fluid and intimate use of the camera, great characters and a storyline... it all comes together to really surprise you! Being a bit of a science nut, I also loved the fact that this storyline was ahead of the curve on a newly introduced theory making the rounds in Physics. I won't say anymore for fear of spoiling the ride, but trust me... this is a very well done film! If you still hold onto your sense of imagination... if you still believe that anything is possible... if you still love going to movies for a sense a magic and love a good story... this film will not disappoint!