The Gift (2010 Video) User Reviews

powerful like one scene of a long film

[Mintroll · 8/10 · 23 July 2016]

A world described in this film is not real, but a fantasy with a sense of reality. In the time, some of the characters such as a dog and servant is a robot. There are some different points from out real life. On the other hand, a main uses a train as a way of transportation. Seeing the existence of trains, I guess it is a not so far in the future incident. The mixture of real and unreal thing makes me think it can be true in the future.

After watching the film, there remains a lot of questions. Where is the time? Who is the man? Who is good or evil? And what is a gift? Only one certain thing is that the gift has a key because it is always on the screen. Many questions give us room to think, and it widens our imaginations beyond this short film. The quality level is so high that I will think it is not strange to be told this is one scene of a long film.

The Gift Review

[tsmtmn2826 · 7/10 · 4 June 2014]

I think this story is amazing, because I could not think and come up with such an idea. The unicorn is generally fantasy figure, in addition, a robot comes out. I think most people who know the word 'unicorn' can imagine what the unicorn looks like. However, the figure of the unicorn does not come out as what we can usually imagine. Also what I am interested in and think it is impressive is the unicorn is related to 'danger', though the unicorn is usually a divine symbol. I simply enjoy this film. It might be a good and spectacular film because it is short, but I hope that this will be a longer film at least for one hour.

Mobile Destruction

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 22 April 2019]

A Russian man delivers a present to a wealthy man, but when it is opened, the box that is in it kills him. This leads to the box changing hands several times, always with destruction in its wake. The country is a combination of futurism with robots all over the place and a regular population in the shadow of the Kremlin. It is open to lots of interpretations but just a little too short on substance.

a box

[Kirpianuscus · 16 July 2018]

A film who gives to viewer all freedom to imagine what he want. few clues ( from Russia to the word "unicorn" and a robot's sacrifice, a mix of Sci. Fi and dialogues in Russian ) and a lot of misteries. seductive scenes . and nice run. a beautiful end. and nothing more. for many viewers, a dessapointment. for me, a bizarre film with nice details. and if you do not expect too much from this short film, it could work for you as a not bad , not memorable short film with references to the political murders from Russia history and futuristic but not useful for understand the plot characters. in fact, an iron box. and a word. a car accident and the decision of a servant robot, maybe, part of a conspiracy.

Attractive elements

[monakazu · 10/10 · 24 July 2016]

This movie attracted me from the first scene till the end of the movie. The situation of this movie is similar to our real world, but something is different, so viewers think "Where is this?" at the first time they watch this movie. In addition, many mysterious elements which make viewers wonder what will happen next show up again and again in this movie. Who is this man? That city is like Moscow, but why are there no human except that man? Are they robots? Why does he kill the old man? What's in the box? A lot of questions come up viewers mind, so they cannot stop watching this movie. I think the director of this movie really understands the elements which make viewers excited and have interested of the movie.

Mysterious sci-fi film

[minamiakiiku · 6/10 · 18 December 2021]

Carl E. Rinsch short sci-fi film 'The Gift' was created for the Phillips's parallel line project in 2010. In Russia, a messenger delivers a well-crafted box to a wealthy man, who is killed by the man after he touches the gift. Later, it changes hands one after another. The story is quite imaginative and especially, the getaway that the humanoid robot makes is thrilling and exciting. First, there are lots of mysteries unsolved in this film, so we can enjoy many interpretations that differ depending on the individuals. Furthermore, a constant tension keeps going through the story. I felt a little nervous because of the colorless backgrounds and no sign of other living things on the street. It made my eyes stick to the screen. On the other hand, to be honest, it is hard for me to have a clear understanding of the story. The unrevealed detail of the mysteries reminded me of many questions; why does the mailman kill the wealthy man? Why does the humanoid robot run away with the box? And what exactly is it? One thing I could find was that the box brings people death. Interesting movie.

What is the meaning of the gift box?

[rie-63184 · 9/10 · 26 July 2016]

In Russia, the silver box causes mysterious death. The stage is the near future and many androids mechanical animals live with people. This film is amazing and my heart is beating while I see this. There are three reasons why I was moved by this film.

First, it is a good mysterious story. The audience can not expect what happens next so most audience's eyes were riveted on the film screen. In the beginning, I can not understand the meaning of silver box. However, later, i can see interesting about this film.

second, it has high quality pictures. In this film, there are action scenes. This is amazing. Moreover, the picture is beautiful so I want to see it at movie theater.

finally, it is a good ending. People must want to know the continuation of this film. However, this is also good point of this short movie. This film is the most marvelous short film I have ever seen.

Science fiction

[sugarcookies-vita · 7/10 · 2 June 2014]

The genre of this film is science fiction and also it has some action scenes. This film is set the people having the gift. Perhaps, many questions will come to your mind while watching this film. In order to solve the questions, you need to watch this film several times, then gradually you will be able to make sense of the story. I think that this kind of intellectual process is one of the ways to enjoy films. Therefore, I would like to recommend this film, especially to people who can enjoy thinking about the story deeply even after you watch films.

Moreover, the camera-work and the sound effects of this film do a great job on increasingly adding to the tension and also keeping the film lively. For example, you will watch the car chase scene which definitely, makes you feel nervous in the film. In this way, this film is visually interesting as well as the story. The film succeeds in creating tension and thrills for viewers, so you will really want to find out what will happen next. Can you make sense of this? Watch it and discover what is happening around the gift.

Fatal box

[missonigiri · 8/10 · 22 July 2014]

Everyone desires the box - the mysteriously attractive box that, like the ring from The Lord of the Rings, make people attached to it even to the point of murdering. The short film takes place in a modern city where robots and 'traditional' human beings, like us, live together. One day, a man walks into the city carrying the box, and the scramble for the mystical box begins.

When I watched it for the first time, I didn't really get the whole story. Though it seemed like it was something new to me and it was fascinating. For instance, the way the robot moves and their human-like yet still very inhuman and steady face expression immediately grabbed my attention. I, then, tried giving it a watch another few times and I came to appreciate the short more. Everyone is attracted to the box and tries to get it, but when they finally acquire it, it brings them death. It's a deadly box. After I got it, I particularly liked the ending: a boy staring at the box.

a mysterious box

[alpaca25 · 6/10 · 7 July 2014]

This is an exciting and thrilling Science Fiction movie.The location is maybe Russia, but I

do not know when it is.It seems to be the far distant future.In the movie, the technology has developed and humans and robots live together.The robots seems to have human- mind.One robot serves a man. The strange gift for his owner from a guest is the key thing of this movie.The gift seems to have special power.The characters in the movie try to get this special gift,but the same things happen to everyone who gets this box.Is this coincidence?The answer to this question is not known to anyone, and I cannot tell what happens to them.In the last scene,a young boy finds the gift.I think that everyone watching this movie want to tell him not to pick up the box.It is thrilling and exciting movie and also this movie makes us how technologies are.

If this film was a gift/present, I wouldn't want it.

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 20 April 2017]

"The Gift" is a British English/Russian language film by Philips that is live action of course and only runs for five minutes. It is the most known short film work by writer and director Carl Rinsch, who is mostly known today of course for the full feature film (his only) "47 Ronin". This one here is about an apparently very precious little item in a gift box and it seems everybody wants it, messengers, robot-like creatures, the police - everybody. The consequences are of course jealousy, greed and murder as well. That scene with the cut neck did not feel realistic at all though with what the messenger says and does. I personally did not enjoy the watch too much. Felt like style over substance to me and looking at the reception of the Rinsch film I mentioned earlier, I am not surprised that this one here is mostly a disappointment as well. Maybe it could have worked better as a full feature film with proper elaboration on the characters, but of course a lot could have been messed up there as well. All in all, slight curiosity about what is in the gift box is not enough to let me recommend this. The ending looks like there may be a sequel, but as this one is already seven years old and it hasn't happened by now, it doesn't seem likely. Probably better this way. watch something else instead.

Thrilling

[myqkbt · 8/10 · 27 December 2021]

The genre of this film is Science Fiction.

The setting of this film is Russia in the near future. There are a lot of robots and technologies. A man is walking while handing a red box like a present. What he left for is an old house where a family who looks rich live. He gives the host this box. The moment that the box is opened and lighting, the host is killed. He escapes with the box. However, he also is run over. After this scene, the story progresses around the box.

I think those who have the box is absolutely dead. However, I cannot understand a lot of things such as relationship between characters. It is hard for me to understand the mean of this film.

Inorganic landscape and music of this film makes us thrilled and excited, so I can enjoy this film without understanding the contain.

Good computer graphics

[arkts31 · 6/10 · 17 February 2014]

This is a short sci-fi film. You can see an imaginary Russian city in the future. It is very beautiful and is full of mysterious mood.

To be honest, I don't understand well what is happening in the movie. Many things happen one after another and there are few conversations. However, I enjoyed this film very much because the computer graphics is so elaborate and sophisticated. The car chase scene is amazing. The camera is set so that you can feel high speed of moving vehicles. In addition to that, zooming in and out is effectively used and that makes this movie more attractive.

You must be surprised at the beautiful computer graphics.

The identity of it

[bongiovi-44006 · 5/10 · 9 August 2017]

When speaking of unicorns, we first imagine a legendary creature like horse with single large horn projecting from its forehead. In this film, "a unicorn" never shows itself. A gift box or something that is called unicorn is regarded as important. When I got what the "unicorn" means I also understood why the robot, who probably only knew what the unicorn is, ran away even though he sacrificed himself.

Thinking of this things above, this film is very interesting and imaginative. But at the same time there are a few mysterious points. And the most important point, the identity of the "unicorn", was hard to catch for me. So I didn't like it very much.

Mysterious box!

[kamamitochan · 9/10 · 24 December 2021]

This short film is a sci-fi story about a mysterious present box. The setting is the world in the near future. A man carries the box to an old man who looks rich. The old man opens the box and then the man kills the old man. He leaves with the box, but gets run over by a bus and dies.

The robot which is in the old man's house sees that scene and takes the box away without a word...What is the mystery of that box?

My recommendation is that this film makes the viewers guess what the box is. In addition, the background music in the scene where the robot is running away from the police is effective in expressing the scene of speed and thrilling. The last scene that a boy finds the box in the frozen river makes us imagine whether he will pick it up or not. In my mind, I said "Don't pick it up!!!!" This film makes the viewers' emotions thrill, so if you like thrills, I recommend it!

Watch for CGI

[dmitrykusanov · 6/10 · 24 June 2014]

It was very easy for me to be dragged into the world of sci-fi Russia. Mixtures of CGI and old fashioned Moscow was something worth watching for sure. However, there was "too much information" on the other hand, as a short film. As there is "high fantasy" and "low fantasy," we can say that the sub genre of this film is "low sci-fi". And since it is based on our real world, the question of asking "how?" was inevitable. For instance, I found my self getting interested in how Russia (or could it be Soviet still? Lots of questions) became a Robo-tech super nation rather than its main theme, "Gift" To conclude, I wanted to watch this in 90 minutes film.

The Gift

[skcn1818 · 8/10 · 28 May 2014]

This movie is about a box which contains something. When people have it, something bad happens because of the box.

When I heard the title, I thought that the movie would be a happy story but it was not. Because the story is different from my imagination, it takes a long time for me to understand the real meaning of the box. I think this movie becomes better if people see it many times. In particular, I am interested in the boy who looks at the box at the end. In this movie, there are many mysteries and people have to think about it by themselves. And so this movie is good.

In addition, the camera-work surprised me. When I saw it, I felt as if I would be running with a robot. The camera moves along with the robot and patrol cars and so the film has realism. It makes the audience excited and thrilled.

terrible

[springsong4350 · 6/10 · 13 July 2014]

I did not know what is going on at first in this film. Everyone who touched the Unicorn is dies in a very terrible setting, but I was able to see while considering from beginning to end. I did not know why the characters had to stick to the Unicorn, but found that it is very frightening. Therefore the scene that a little boy has to handle the unicorn at the end is very appalling. Also, I thought it was the movie of the future because the robot is appearing in this movie. Although I think it will bevome very useful, such as from the appearance of the robot in the future. I felt very anxious that the man is threatened by a robot with a human heart. I thought so the world devastated like this, that we should co-exist with the computer.

The colors of Russia

[amagaerunami · 10/10 · 27 December 2021]

"The colors of Russia" I could enjoy to watch the film because there are many secrets and curious points in it.

Especially, it's how to use the color. I think black and white are mainly used and white is especially used overall. However, I can see the point color, red in several scenes. For example, the tie of the rich man, the carpet, the chair in the rich man's house, and of course the cursed gift. I couldn't help focusing on red because it is contrasted with black and white. Maybe, the director wants to tell us something. So, I think it gently hints of death, socialism and communism. First, the death is such a simple reason. I connected the red blood with the death. Also, the gift is a symbol of death. Everyone who touches it completely dies. For example, the first victim has the red tie, the second one has like the red scarf. But, here goes the main point, socialism and communism. The key is the set. This film might be set in Russia because of the building and the fashion. So, Russia has the connection of these thoughts and people also had big revolutions in the past. However, I can't think in more detail. By the way, maybe the point color is one more. It's blue. The robot has its color. Its body has mainly white and blue. And, from the scene of the robot, the blue things suddenly increase. From these, these color, red, white and blue is the symbol color of Russia. I was excited in the moment I noticed it and I completely like it.

I want to recommend this film to people who like to search for secrets. I can enjoy doing it because there are few words!

Like it

[yurude · 7/10 · 24 December 2021]

This is a short film about a box. This film starts with the scene that a man is carrying a box that looks like a present. He reaches a house, and give it to another man. They see what is inside, and then suddenly the man who carries the box kills the owner of the house and runs away.

One of my favorite points of this film is the world view. There are unknown technologies such as robots and huge vehicles that we have never seen. There is no explanations about those in this film, though, I like that expression. Another point that I like is that "Unicorn" is not literally what we expect. In this film, the word "unicorn" must be used. Therefore, every audience will expect that a real unicorn appears. However, in this film, "unicorn" is something in the box. We do not know exactly what it is.

Through watching this film, we can imagine what is going on in this film. I really like the director's style.

Terrible BOX

[lovingtheworld1140 · 4/10 · 16 July 2014]

A man carrying a box meets a wealthy old man. I do not know what is inside the box at first. I didn't have any ideas. The old man puts a piece of hair on the box and opens the box. All of sudden, the box shines. A unicorn stays in the box. Then, the man who brought the box to the old man suddenly kills the old man and runs away. When he runs to the street, a truck runs over him. A robot approaches him and takes the box away. However, the robot also dies. Before the robot absolutely dies, he throws the box into the river. I can see everyone who touches the box dies so far. This movie is so difficult to understand, but it depends on people. That's why I'd like to watch this movie and want to ask you what do you think about the movie.

A tragedy caused by "the Gift"

[k0038546 · 7/10 · 15 February 2014]

At a chilly place, a man is delivering a box. This might be a normal situation but there are some things which are unusual. A robot dog is walking around. Many men wearing full-faced mask are guarding the road. A robot man is serving a rich family. This situation is making this film tense. When the man arrives to a wealthy man's house, these two men starts to open the box and see what is inside it. Inside this box, "the Gift", is important in this film. After opening it, a scramble for this gift starts. Even a murder happens to get it. With several action scenes and realistic CGs, this film is full of stimulation. The way robots move is like a real creature. It would be quite difficult to understand the meaning of "the Gift", and since this movie isn't so long, about 5 minutes, I recommend you see this movie several times.

Thrilling action with unicorn

[f-27753 · 4/10 · 24 July 2016]

This is the very unique and perhaps mysterious film. There is a box which has a unicorn inside, and the box is carried by people one after another. Yet, once they touch the box, they are involved in some accidents and finally lose their lives. You shouldn't miss the ending, which reveals what the box means.

The most astonishing things about the film is the fact that the story develops in a very thrilling and exciting way. Usually, the unicorn, which is the key word in this film, reminds you of the fancy stories with the pretty unicorn. In this film, however, the unicorn is an invisible object which forces you to consult your imagination, and furthermore, the story full of action and bloody scene doesn't provide you with the nice drama that makes you feel good. Thus this film tears apart your stereotype toward the word, unicorn.

To sum up, it is a remarkably irregular story with unicorn, but its uniqueness makes the story possible to distinguish from any other stories.

hard for me to understand

[mailtaka · 7/10 · 29 July 2014]

This story is hard for me to understand. The detail that are not revealed in this story seems have to imagine myself. What is a unicorn? Why does the man who is run over by a bus kill an old man? Who is the child who gazes at the box? There are a lot of thought-provoking things in this movie.

Also, the action scenes were exciting, The scene of a robot which drove a motorcycle while avoiding the police car was very cool! I also felt a realistic force by the scene that the robot was blown away by crushing the bike against police cars which were blocking a street. His partially destroyed face was very impressive.

Even so, I wonder what was the unicorn. Because it could not be seen in this film, I'm interested in the beautiful contents of the box.

The Gift

[curryandrice · 7/10 · 16 June 2014]

The robot and the box may exist in the near future, but town exists in the present age. I think the director mismatched between the robot and the town. Who is the robot? I want to who the robot is and why does the robot steal the box.Why was everyone charmed by the box? It brings unhappiness. Will the boy pick up the box? I think the boy won't pick it up, but he will open the box. I'm interested in thinking about the end of the movie. This movie is short. I want to see a long version. I also got excited by the car action scene. The scene is powerful. The movie contains grotesque scenes. I like it, but there are a lot of people who don't like a grotesque scenes.