Coherence 2013

Sara Stewart, New York Post: Writer/director James Ward Byrkit, in his feature debut, achieves effective chills with only eight actors and a living room ... Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: [The] surprises, while cleverly doled out over the film's brisk 88-minute running time, don't entirely offset the general displeasure of spending time with this particular circle of friends, lovers and old flames ... Read more

A.A. Dowd, AV Club: An uncommonly clever genre movie, reliant not on special effects-of which there are basically none-but on heavy doses of paranoia. Read more

Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: At once a suspenseful mind game and a wily mash-up of surreal quantum physics theories, this low-cost thriller proves that something approaching brilliance is not just a function of budget. Read more

Clark Collis, Entertainment Weekly: You have to love a film that not only explains the concept of Schrodinger's cat but also includes a joke about it. Read more

Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter: An ingenious micro-budget science-fiction nerve-jangler which takes place entirely at a suburban dinner party, Coherence is a testament to the power of smart ideas and strong ensemble acting over expensive visual pyrotechnics. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: The conceit is alluringly mind-bending without ever seeming off-puttingly brainy. Read more

Bruce Diones, New Yorker: The film's not perfect-the hand-held camerawork sometimes distracts from the unnerving mood-but it's a good, spooky mind-bender. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Gets points for both effort and entertainment value - even if viewers will be hard-pressed to find much coherence in his convoluted plot. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: What began as a nifty puzzle feels more like a trap. It may be possible to unkink this story, but when characters and performances are as unengaging as these, it's hard to feel motivated to try. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Slightly too much like an unfolding mathematical puzzle, although an ingenious one that reaches a chilling conclusion. Read more

Jim Brunzell III, Minneapolis Star Tribune: An unsatisfactory conclusion ruins an engaging and promising idea. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: The larger questions Coherence asks us to consider about parallel worlds are interesting, if not exactly original, while absurdist touches help elevate it from more traditional thrillers. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: [Byrkit's] premise has Bunuelian potential, but too often he settles for the shocks of a Twilight Zone episode. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: The Rod Serling tension Byrkit is angling for never quite arrives, nor does any real Borgesian frisson. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: Coherence is a gentle film, but you walk away from it with your brain on fire. Read more