Is "Coherence" Even Coherent?

Platform: Prime Video, Hulu, Hoopla

Release Date: June 20, 2014

There are 5 stages of every film and it is the often ignored last stage that may be the most important. The first stage is the anticipation for the movie, which is typically influenced by trailers and one's investment in the film. The second stage is the opening act, which serves to draw your interest and explain the key plot points. The third stage is the the film's second act which carries the bulk of the story and most of the emotional weight. The fourth stage is the third and final act where you typically experience the climax, the catharsis, and the conclusion to the opening act. Then comes the mythical fifth stage that not all films reach (and not all are trying to). This is the stage where your mind keeps going back to the film, thinking it over, analyzing aspects, trying to figure out what you did not see. This is the fascination stage and Coherence bathes you in it. How did I never hear about this movie until now?!

In Coherence, a group of friends attend a dinner party at the same time that a comet passes closely over Earth. What occurs is a sequence of strange events that are difficult for the friends to understand or explain, but that does not stop them for trying to figure it out. They are explained in the movie, but I will quickly point out that the core of this film is a blend of two highlights of quantum physics: the theory of decoherence and the Schrodinger's cat thought experiment. I am sure Wikipedia will do a better job of explaining these principles than myself, though I would say go into the movie as blind as possible. This film becomes a character focused, Twilight Zone-like puzzle that you probably can't trust. I honestly think that is the best review that could be given for the movie, as too much discussion could ruin the experience.

This was a truly remarkable film, not just for its subject matter or execution, but for the process by which it was developed. A little background on this 2013 sci-fi/thriller, it was shot in five days, in a single location, on a budget of $50,000. For those unfamiliar with filmmaking, that's such a small amount, it is less than the catering budget for many movies. None of that is impressive compared to this next tidbit: there was no script. Instead, every actor received a sheet of notes that would include points of interest about their character for that day of filming and the actors would come prepared with their dialogue. Because of this method, not only did the actors not know what the other would say, thus having organic reactions to each other, but none of them knew nothing that would happen in the story. As the director, James Ward Byrkit, indicated in an interview about the movie "they were completely in the dark. All the surprises you see are real". That is an incredibly risky strategy that pays off in the best of ways.

I had a different plan for how this review would go but decided to keep it as vague as possible because your cluelessness is the basis of the film's enjoyment. I do not want to explain the movie, as my experiences and theories are likely to be a bit different than yours. Watch it. Pause it. Google quantum physics principles. Think about it. Rewind it. Finish it. Think about it more. Have it all figured out, then look up theories about the movie to find a dozen more nuances that you did not think about, such as the strange cuts to black throughout the first act. There is so much to talk about regarding the happenings in the movie, but you would have to watch it first, so get to it!!

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RATING: ☄️ ☄️ ☄️ ☄️.5 / 5