Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence, language in clever, low-budget sci-fi thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
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Where to Watch
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Coherence
What's the Story?
In COHERENCE, eight friends gather for a dinner party the night that Miller's Comet is said to be passing overhead. Mike (Nicholas Brendon) and Lee (Lorene Scafaria) are the hosts; their guests include Emily (Emily Foxler) and Kevin (Maury Sterling), Amir (Alex Manugian) and his date, Laurie (Lauren Maher)—who's Kevin's ex-girlfriend—plus Hugh (Hugo Armstrong) and Beth (Elizabeth Gracen). Not long after the festivities begin, the power goes out. The hosts bring out candles and blue glow sticks, which everyone wears. The friends discover that there's another house in the area that still has power, so Hugh decides to go there, along with Amir, to make a phone call. When they return, Hugh has a cut on his forehead, and Amir carries a box with strange items inside: a ping pong paddle and photos of the friends with numbers written on the backs. Amir realizes that the photo of him was taken that very evening, though he has no memory of that happening. Hugh writes a note for the other house, only to discover an exact duplicate of the note on their own door. The friends begin theorizing: What if the comet has created two different realities existing in the same place at the same time?
Is It Any Good?
A rare science-fiction movie based on ideas rather than a big budget, this tense, brain-bending ride is consistently intriguing, forever leaving viewers second-guessing what's in front of their eyes. Despite being set almost entirely in one house and having just eight characters, Coherence manages to be quite visual. It's a movie in which something as innocuous as red glow sticks can cause a twinge of fear. The film is never short on little clues that continuously throw viewers off-balance, from ketamine to a photograph and a ring.
Director James Ward Byrkit—who wrote the screenplay based on a story by himself and actor Alex Manugian—also builds history for the characters. They have a shared dynamic and a shorthand that makes them feel like they really have been hanging out together for years. (The little conflicts between them help elevate the tension.) Sci-fi fans will get a giggle out of the fact that actor Nicholas Brendon, best known as Xander on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, here plays an actor who works on the show Roswell. (Moreover, his real-life identical twin brother, Kelly Donovan, comes in handy.) Also in the cast is Lorene Scafaria, who previously directed her own sci-fi movie, the wonderful Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. While many sci-fi movies are about worlds, spaceships, and explosions, Coherence has actually put some thought into the science behind its fiction.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Coherence's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What's interesting about stories that deal with alternate or parallel universes? What can we learn from them?
The characters instantly react with fear and aggression at the realization of what's happening. How do you think you'd you react in this situation?
How does the movie depict drinking and drug use? Are they glamorized? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
How does the movie use just a few characters and one location to tell a cosmic story? How does it compare to movies with larger budgets?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 20, 2014
- On DVD or streaming : November 16, 2015
- Cast : Emily Foxler , Nicholas Brendon , Maury Sterling
- Director : James Ward Byrkit
- Studio : Oscilloscope Pictures
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : August 26, 2025
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