Norma and Arthur Lewis are faced with a terrible dilemma when a mysterious glass box turns up at their door. If they press the button inside the box, they’ll get enough money to save their ailing son, but in exchange, someone, somewhere in the world will die. When the temptation to save their beloved son becomes too much to bear, Norma pushes the button. Immediately, a gunshot rings out somewhere nearby. Consumed with guilt, Norma must do everything in her power to solve a murder she has knowingly caused.
Based on the short story by Richard Matheson, “The Box” stars Cameron Diaz as Norma Lewis and James Marsden as Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child who receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger, played by Frank Langella, delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world…someone they don’t know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the crosshairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.
The Box is an American psychological thriller film based on the 1970 short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson, which was previously adapted into an episode of the 1980s iteration of The Twilight Zone. The film is written and directed by Richard Kelly and stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man played by Frank Langella who offers them one million dollars if they press the button sealed within the dome on top of the box. However once the button has been pushed someone, somewhere, will die.
Read the Full Production Notes
The Box
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Deborah Rush, Celia Weston, Lisa K. Wyatt
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Screenplay by: Richard Kelly
Release Date: November 6, 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
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