The Gift (2000)

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The Gift (2000)

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The Gift is a 2000 American film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson and based on the alleged psychic experiences of Thornton's mother. It is a supernatural thriller, with the main character Annie (Cate Blanchett) becoming involved in a murder mystery as a result of her witnessing the crime with her second sight. Other major characters are played by Keanu Reeves, Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear and Giovanni Ribisi.

Plot: The film is set in the fictional southern town of Brixton, Georgia, where young widow Annie Wilson (Cate Blanchett), the mother of three young boys, is the resident "fortune-teller." The town is abuzz with the disappearance of Jessica King (Katie Holmes), the fiancée of Wayne Collins (Greg Kinnear), the school's principal. As the search for Jessica begins, the local police and Jessica's father Kenneth King (Chelcie Ross) enlist Annie's help to see if she can come up with a possible answer. Annie is unable to produce a vision, largely due to the presence of Pearl Johnson (J.K. Simmons), the local sheriff who looks upon Annie's trade unfavorably.
Annie later receives a vision that Jessica has been killed and her body weighed down by a chain and thrown into a pond. She also sees a fiddle player in the vision, white lilies and a split-rail fence. She returns to Johnson with her findings, and with the information, Johnson decides to search a pond at the home of Donnie Barksdale (Keanu Reeves), a violent alcoholic. Barksdale's battered wife, Valerie (Hilary Swank), gives her permission for the search as Donnie is away fishing. Donnie returns while the search is proceeding. As the police are ready to give up on the search they find the nude and chained body of Jessica King. Donnie is immediately arrested.
During his trial for Jessica's murder, it is revealed that Jessica and Barksdale had an affair, and Jessica's reputation for promiscuity is exposed in open court. The case against Barksdale is strengthened when a scratch on his forearm is proven to have been perpetrated by Jessica during a confrontation at a local bar. Annie also takes the stand, and though her psychic testimony is ridiculed by defense attorney Gerald Weems (Michael Jeter), Donnie is eventually convicted and sent to prison. A subplot reveals other examples of Annie's "gift". Buddy Cole (Giovanni Ribisi) harbors an intense hatred for his father, and consistently has fits of seemingly unprovoked rage, including incidents with Annie and with Donnie Barksdale. Buddy tries to explain to Annie why he hates his father but Annie is preoccupied and doesn't want to listen to the panicky and vulgar Buddy.

–from wikipedia

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The Gift (2000)

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The Gift (2000)

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The Gift (2000)

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The Gift (2000)

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The Gift (2000)

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