For the “The Gift,” the actor Joel Edgerton goes behind the camera to direct a twist on the thriller genre, while also using some of its conventions. Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall play Simon and Robin, a couple who have moved to a new town and are greeted and befriended by Gordo (Mr. Edgerton), an old classmate of Simon’s. The relationship the couple maintains with Gordo is uncomfortable at best.

In an interview, Mr. Edgerton spoke about his film and particularly one haunting scene. He also talked about what it was like to direct himself. These are excerpts from that conversation.

Q. Could you talk a little about this sequence?

A. Things have come to a head with the three characters. Gordo, the unwanted friend, is being extricated from the couple’s life. Rebecca Hall, who plays Robin, has headed back into her dark past. She’s taken some pills from the neighbor’s pill cabinet and she’s in a very paranoid place. Their dog has gone missing, which was a big deal for me in terms of the stalker thriller, the trope of the family pet going missing and often ending up in the worst possible situation. I wanted to do something different here, take the dog away, electrify the situation, and then do something different.

What were your goals?

What we really wanted to do in this scene was plant one foot in the genre world, which was my promise to my partners. I was making a smart drama about the implosion of a relationship, but at the same time I firmly wanted to create a piece of entertainment that tipped the hat to all the great genre movies that I’d seen.