The more complicated Coherence gets, the filmmakers and actors make it easy to keep track of what is going on. As soon as they accept that this is happening, they start thinking of ways to protect themselves and combat it, and wonder whether they even have to. For an obscure intellectual sci-fi concept, these characters face it head on.

The presence of this sci-fi force is largely felt off camera, and by the characters themselves when they become unsure of where they even stand in this new reality. The only aspect of Coherence’s premise that could require special effects is handled the old fashioned way, within camera editing rather than digital composite work. What begins as a conceptual question evolves into an emotional one as each character faces what the existence of this force means to them in this fluid, flexible new reality. The subtle interactions our group of characters has with this force illustrates the subtle complications that can arise when one begins altering physical reality. Coherence has no visual effects, so it uses specific indicators of character and setting to identify what is going on. These days it’s all CGI aliens, but even Back to the Future had flaming DeLorean tracks. Most science fiction movies use big special effects to sell their concept. Both intellectually and pragmatically, the film sets up the rules and reveals the fascinating subtle dilemmas this very big idea provokes. I think knowing what that sci-fi concept is only makes the film more intriguing, but I don’t want to force you to know that ahead of time. Pretty shortly after strange things begin occurring (we’re talking act one here), and they realize that they have been exposed to a sci-fi concept.

UPDATE: I’m so concerned with preserving every wonderful detail of Coherence that I’ve gone ahead and rewritten this review to be even more vague.Ī group of friends get together on the night a comet is passing overhead.

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