Coherence (2013)
Movie rating: 8/10
This review includes plot details that might be considered spoilers. In my view, this is the kind of film that works best if you know as little as possible going in. If you want to go in fresh, I would recommend watching it first and reading the review afterwards.
Could a comet have passed by Earth and caused this strange coincidence? After watching Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness last Friday, I watched Coherence (currently streaming on Amazon Prime) knowing little more more than the basic setup. Lo and behold, I found myself watching another film that explores the idea of alternate realities. Coherence is a relatively low-budget affair, but I found it more interesting than the Marvel blockbuster.
Directed by James Ward Byrkit, Coherence follows our protagonist Em (Emily Baldoni, billed here as Emily Foxler), one of eight friends meeting up for a dinner party. Strange things begin to happen when Miller’s Comet appears in the night sky. The power goes out and all houses in the neighbourhood go dark, except for one that remains fully lit. Things get weirder from there. If you can suspend your disbelief, you’re in for some brain-twisting science fiction that cries out for repeat viewings.
The characters find a book written by the physicist brother of Hugh (Hugo Armstrong) with information on quantum decoherence, and become convinced that the comet has created two parallel realities. Their hypothesis is partially correct; in fact, there are far more than two. Tensions build as characters begin to question their sanity—even accusing Beth (Elizabeth Gracen) of drugging their food— and whether their friends are actually the people they know or imposters from alternate realities.
I was surprised to learn that Byrkit, making his directorial debut, filmed the movie with no script. Instead he handed the actors notes about their characters’ background and motivations for each scene and allowed them to improvise. That certainly makes sense after watching the final product. From the actors’ first scenes together I was struck by how real and naturalistic the dialogue felt. Despite Byrkit intentionally casting actors who didn’t know each other, the cast are very convincing as old friends getting together. This verisimilitude make the characters’ growing unease and paranoia feel much more tangible.
Byrkit creates a sense of foreboding early on. The movie cuts to black a number of times at different intervals, even in the opening scenes when characters are talking and joking with each other. Bizarre occurrences start subtly: the lone house that still has power, a broken glass that no one remembers breaking. But they soon grow more worrisome: Hugh disappears and returns to the house with a wound on his head; he and Amir (Alex Manugian) find a box containing numbered photos of each person; people begin acting out of character; and the presence of roaming doppelgängers becomes increasingly undeniable.
There are no special effects here. At times the film feels more like a stage play. Byrkit relies entirely on his intriguing premise, strong cast, and ability to generate a sense of mystery and steadily increasing dread. Foxler is an appealing lead: other cast members include Nicholas Brendan (best known for his role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer), writer and director Lorene Scafaria, Maury Sterling, and Lauren Maher. The electronic score by Kristin Øhrn Dyrud is effective, creepy and atmospheric.
At times the plot twists and turns can get overly complicated. The climax of the film suffers a bit as one character behaves in a way that doesn’t always make sense, though it does make sense thematically and is foreshadowed in an early scene. To accept the premise of Coherence you have to be willing to go along with the concept of alternate realities, though as a science-fiction premise this is no more or less far-fetched than time travel. Overall the film is very enjoyable and I give it a solid recommendation.