On their own, dinner parties can be a stressful affair; but if you mix in fractured realities and nefarious doppelgangers, well, that is they can be an absolute nightmare.

Coherence, directed by James Ward Byrki, is a film about eight friends living in California who get together for a dinner party. This group of friends have history together, and as the film progresses its clear some of the couples have secrets, but the main conflict and continuing point of conversation surrounds Emily (Emily Foxler), a woman who is clearly at a crossroads in her relationship, decision to  accompany her boyfriend Kevin (Maury Sterling) on his business trip to Vietnam. Well that and their once in a lifetime opportunity to see Miller’s Comet pass overhead.

Little do they know that with the arrival of the comet will also come a cosmic anomaly that has consequences that extend beyond the current power outage. 

James Ward Byrkit’s Coherence feels like science fiction in its purest form. There is a real attempt here to adhere to the integrity of theoretical science. Essentially, Byrkit’s Coherence does for a multiverse what Shane Carruth’s Primer does for time travel, but it uses a narrative framework that is far more accessible. 

But one thing that sets Coherence apart from kindred Primer is the size of the cast, all of whom give quality performances. To make the film work, Byrkit hired eight veterans of theater, television, and film to essentially improvise the entire movie, creating a natural flow to the dialogue of an ever-devolving dinner party. Supposedly, instead of a script, Byrkit provided actors with only plot points and each character’s backstory. But he also did thorough scientific research before determining the rules for his anomaly and took extra care to ensure the internal logic of his premise remained intact. A sense of controlled spontaneity underlies Coherence, making it unique as a cinematic experience. 

Coherence is the type of film that demands repeat viewings to fully appreciate how carefully crafted it really is. But if you, like me, do not have the time to watch the same film more than once (there is so much to see), then I urge you to take time afterwards to at least find the who-is-who charts circulating the internet that show you exactly when each character is swapped. I believe it is part of a niche science fiction sub-genre that attempts to mix low-budget science fiction with high-minded theoretical science in order to create fantastic, original psychological thrillers. Intelligent sci-fi treats like Coherence do not get made that often; we should take time to fully embrace them when they are.