The Box

The Box is a 2009 American science fiction–thriller/horror based on the 1970 abbreviate adventure "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson, which was ahead acclimatized into an adventure of the 1980s apotheosis of The Twilight Zone. The blur is accounting and directed by Richard Kelly and stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a brace who accept a box from a abstruse man who offers them one actor dollars if they columnist the button closed aural the arch on top of the box.[3] Production for the blur began in November 2007 and assured in February 2008.

The blur begins with an NSA centralized announcement actuality typed beyond the screen, advertence that a man alleged Arlington Steward has recovered from astringent bake wounds and is carrying units accompanying to the Mars project.

The blur again opens up in 1976 Richmond, Virginia with Norma and Arthur Lewis activation at 5:45 am as the doorbell rings. Norma goes bench and looks through the aperture seeing a atramentous car drive off and a amalgamation on the doorstep. Inside, she and her bedmate acquisition a board box with a button adequate by a bottle dome, bound with a key, and a agenda that reads Mr. Steward will appear at 5:00 pm.

Arthur goes to assignment as an eyes architect at NASA, area he helped in designing the camera on the Viking Mars probe. He finds because he bootless his attitude exam, he has been alone from the astronaut affairs admitting acceptable analysis array and aglow recommendations. Norma goes to her job as a abecedary at a clandestine academy teaching literature. One of her acceptance animadversion on her limp, afterwards which she shows her chic her agee appropriate foot, missing four toes. Later that day Norma allotment home and confesses her abhorrence of accident their home, due to abridgement of money. That is aback Arlington Steward appears at their door.

Steward offers Norma one actor dollars if she presses the button closed in the dome. The bolt is that addition they do not apperceive will die. Afterwards abundant altercation as to whether they should columnist the button, and some tinkering with the box, Norma aback pushes it. A 911 alarm is again shown, area addition has been shot. The badge access the abode and acquisition a woman attempt through the heart, and a little babe bound in the bath upstairs.

Steward allotment and presents Norma and Arthur with the million, afterwards allurement whether they apprenticed the button. He informs the brace that whoever receives the action next, they will absolutely not apperceive them, implying that if the abutting bodies columnist the button, one of them, or their son, may be at risk. Arthur storms afterwards Steward and attempts to acknowledgment the million, but he drives off.

Arthur and Norma appear a bells alarm dinner, area Arthur is best to baddest a present from a table. The apprentice of Norma's who prompted her to acknowledge her birthmark holds up two fingers to Arthur. Arthur again sees a apparent amber box like the one larboard on their doorstep and chooses it. He and Norma acquisition a poor affection atramentous and white photo of Steward afore his birthmark inside.

Norma's sister tells Arthur that the apprentice Arthur saw was the one who fabricated fun of his wife's foot. Arthur asks Norma's dad (who is a badge officer) to run the authorization bowl cardinal of Steward's car. Norma receives a buzz alarm from Steward, who scolds her for acceptance her bedmate to accomplish acquaintance with the police. Arthur approaches the apprentice and yells at him for authoritative fun of Norma. He again storms out of the party, with Norma afterward him. As they alpha their car, they see "No Exit" accounting into the frost on their windshield.

When they get home, Arthur takes their aide Dana home. As they are driving, Dana acts strangely, cogent Arthur to "look into the light" to break his problems. Her adenoids begins to drain and she passes out. Arthur attempts to deathwatch her up and finds her drivers license, which shows her name is absolutely Sarah Matthews and she is from Boston. He alcove the motel, area Sarah has been blockage and she wakes up with a start. She tells Arthur it's not safe for him there, and to attending in the mirror because that's the alone abode with the answer. In the motel, every aperture she passes opens and addition stares her down. She alcove her room, area she has a ample map and pictures of the Lewises.

At a supermarket, Norma is approached by a afraid woman who tells her to attending up a assertive alarm cardinal in the library, and not to assurance her husband, afore casual out with a blood-soaked nose. Arthur finds out that Steward's authorization bowl is registered to the NSA. He asks Norma's ancestor if he can go with him to see the abode area the cutting mentioned beforehand took place. Once there, he finds pictures of Steward and a annual of a Human Resources book, and a library alarm number.

Norma and Arthur both appointment the library, separately. Norma avoids Arthur, as instructed by the woman in the supermarket. Norma finds a blur reel, which shows Arlington above-mentioned to his disfigurement. Arthur is followed by a army of strangers. He finds himself in a ample anteroom abounding with added people. He approaches a woman he learns is Steward's wife, who says Steward is testing "all of us" and directs Arthur to chase her. He is presented with three gateways fabricated of aerial water. Two advance to abiding damnation, one to salvation. Remembering the apprentice who captivated up two fingers, Arthur picks aboideau two. He enters the baptize and finds himself addled through whiteness. Norma is additionally led by two women to Steward. Steward informs Norma that he was addled by lightning, and can now acquaint with "those who ascendancy the lightning". He asks her how she acquainted aback she saw his disfigurement, and she says she acquainted love, because of her own disfigurement. Norma begins to cry and Steward takes her hand. She wakes up and finds herself aback at home in her bed, aloft her Arthur is abiding over her in a ellipsoidal baptize bore that aback bursts.

Back at NASA, the NASA arch and the NSA arch are discussing who Arlington is, adage he was addled by lightning and died anon after. In the antipathy admitting a assistant heard a man laughing. He was transferred to a aerial aegis aggressive hospital area his anatomy seemed to change ten times faster than a accustomed being, with cellular decline halting.

At the bells of Norma's sister, their son Walter is kidnapped. Arthur is taken abroad by Jeffrey, a gun-toting above agent of NASA who attempt his wife, as beforehand apparent in the 911 call. He reveals to Arthur that he had to accept amid his wife or his daughter. He shows Arthur the book apparent beforehand in the picture, and the baptize portals or "triptychs". They are again chock-full by a man in a Santa Claus uniform, campanology a bell. As the two men are aggravating to amount out what is activity on, they are hit by a ample barter that kills Jeffrey.

We again see Arthur abject from a military-NASA warehouse. Arthur and Norma acknowledgment home and acquisition Steward in their kitchen, who says they face two final options. Their son, Walter, is now deafened and blind. They can either alive on with their actor dollars, and their disabled son, or Arthur can shoot Norma through the heart, at which point Walter's afterimage and audition will be adequate and the actor will be placed in a aerial absorption coffer annual for Walter.

Steward leaves, absolute on his way out that their son is in the bathroom, bound upstairs. The two of them run admiral and try to get him out, but cannot. They adjudge that they charge accomplish a choice, and Norma leads Arthur downstairs. While this is happening, we see addition brace accomplish the accommodation to advance the button, and at the moment they advance the button, Arthur shoots Norma through the heart, and runs admiral to acquisition Walter. Walter is anesthetized out on the floor, and does not respond. Soon the badge arrive, accepting been alleged about the gunshot. Walter wakes up and calls out, as Arthur is led out of the house. As Arthur leaves, we see Steward access at the new couple's house. Arthur's NASA acquaintance informs him he and his son will be taken affliction of, as Arthur is escorted abroad by men in uniforms, who put him into a atramentous car afore active off, as Walter looks out through the home's window with Norma's ancestor at his side.

Cast

* Cameron Diaz as Norma Lewis

* James Marsden as Arthur Lewis

* Frank Langella as Arlington Steward

* Gillian Jacobs as Dana Steward

* Deborah Rush as Clymene Steward

* Sam Oz Stone as Walter Lewis

* Ryan Woodle as Lucas Carnes

* James Rebhorn as Norm Cahill

* Holmes Osborne as Dick Burns

* Celia Weston as Lana Burns

* Andrew Levitas as atramentous ops Carson

* Bill Thorpe as NASA administrator

* Allyssa Maurice as Suzanne Weller

* Sal Lizard as Santa

* Mattew C. Flynn as Young Deputy

* Patrick Canty as Administrator #3