The person who is given the box has to put three things inside in order to stop the egg-timer's progress and their own death, that very evening! The best thing about this daftly-premised story is the performance of Dakota Fanning as the person we mainly follow, Polly. I do think that she's maturing well as an actress and have followed her progress from the early likes of Man on Fire (2004) to Ripley (2024) and The Watched (2024).
An old woman appears at Polly's door, looks cold and in need of kindness, so Polly invites her in. Big mistake! While Polly is making a drink, she whips out the box and timer, puts it on the coffee table and tells Polly that she's now cursed and will die tonight. Nothing about how to avoid that. She throws the woman out eventually, box and all, but when she's gone, Polly sees the box in the middle of the road.
Polly presents as a bit of a mess really, failing at most things in life, propped up by her sister financially and those around her seem more interested in her doing something with her life than she does. Later in the film, these character traits become significant as the spirit thingie seems to home in on such people.
The three things that have to go into the box, she finds out by visions, teases from the spirit, appearances from people who are dead, not there, not themselves or whatever - you get the idea - are something she hates, something she loves and something she needs. Part of this psychology could be said to have a bearing on people with mental health issues - though not directly. It's all a bit confusing often and by the end of it, after all the reveals, I still wasn't really 100% sure how it hung together!
Anyway, Polly starts to try and work out what complies with these demands, largely by trial and error. Some end up being pretty gruesome as she struggles for her life. The first thing she offers, for example, is a pack of fags - we have seen previously that other people around her think she should give up smoking - and she has tried to - but they didn't comply because she didn't "hate" them herself.
As I say, quite often it gets confusing and yes, all a bit daft. But the atmosphere is creepy and the sinister tone keeps the viewer on their toes. The 100-minute runtime passed quickly. There is an ending, but it's left a little to one's interpretation - possibly saying more about Polly and others' mental well-being. At the end, we can't be sure if it's all been 'real' for the characters though there are some bits of evidence which suggest that a lot of it was.
Watch it for Dakota Fanning's performance though as she holds the film together, present in every scene, convincing in the role, demonstrating the required emotion, frustration and terror, holding the story together, daft as it may be. Watch it also for the chilling atmosphere and thoughtful lighting and camerawork.
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