Richard Kelly is one of modern cinema’s most interesting directors. He’s the mastermind that brought us Donnie Darko and Southland Tales, and now with The Box he returns with more of his signature strange, and what a welcome return it is. The Box is based on the story, Button, Button by the one and only Richard Matheson, which made it’s television debut on The Twilight Zone. Kelly of course adds his own brand of puzzling fiction into the mix, creating one of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had in the theatre this year.

The story starts off simple enough. A married couple, Norma and Arthur Lewis (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) are given a chance to overcome their financial woes when a disfigured man, Arligton Steward (Frank Langella) shows up at their doorstep. He gives them a box, along with a key and a crisp one hundred dollar bill and tells them that if they push the button someone, whom they do not know will die, and they will receive a payment of one million dollars. Only, if they don’t push the button they can’t keep the million, but can keep the hundred dollars.  It seems like a no-brainer. Who would push the button if they knew someone was going to die? Women evidently. That’s right, Kelly’s tale puts the women under the microscope when he makes it quite clear that it’s the women that push the button and not the men.

All feminist ranting aside, I was totally intrigued by the attention to detail, the odd yet completely enthralling employees that pop up throughout the flick, the subtle social commentary (women push the button), the haunting music. This is not your standard Hollywood drivel, this is a film that deserves to be seen because of its ability to challenge it’s audience.

Once again Richard Kelly has created a world that lives and breathes on its own without the need to tie up loose ends. Along with the beautiful set design, Kelly has assembled a cast that perfectly fit into his carefully designed universe. Diaz and Marsden had an undeniable chemistry that never once made me question their devotion to one another, but it was Marsden that surprised me the most, bringing a certain highbrow quality to the character that is seldom seen in films today. Between Marsden and Langella, Kelly crafted a game of cat and mouse that I didn’t want to end.

Rarely do filmmakers take the chances that Richard Kelly does with his films. He’s not afraid to leave the end open. He’s a filmmaker that makes art that isn’t boring, broadening the scope of what’s possible within the world of contemporary film.

The Box isn’t for everyone. It’s for audiences that aren’t afraid to think for themselves, it’s a reminder that there are filmmakers out there taking risks and making killer films that are out of ordinary, yet still killer.

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