The Village (2004)
Starring: William Hurt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody and Sigourney Weaver.
Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
108 minutes.
Rated PG-13
M. Night Shyamalan is a skilled director. He has show this with his last three films, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. When most people go to see one of his films, they wait for the twist ending. They try to figure it out before it happens. The event gets built up so large, that almost nothing could top it. The Sixth Sense is the only one of his films that truly has a twist to it. The others are slightly different. And The Village continues the trend.
To review this film with any sort of depth is to reveal what the film is about. That makes it very difficult. I will not reveal the ending to this film because I think it should be experienced. Let’s just say this much about it. There is small village in a certain time and place. The people whom live there cannot go into the woods because “Those We Do Not Speak” won’t let them. They are more or less content with where they are until animals start being killed. Then a tragic event happens and someone must be sent away to “the towns” in order to get medical supplies. Then the story takes it turn.
The Village is a very slow film, especially for its first hour. The pacing seems to be all wrong, perhaps not helped by the interesting dialogue. The suspense is built, but not to the point of being truly frightening. I thought the near ending of Signs to be much scarier. When the “twist” is revealed it brings up so many questions. The heart of the film is in the last half hour. That is, the depth, the issues M. Night wants us to think about, are not brought to our attention until the film is nearly over.
That is where he misses the mark. The film is a clear social commentary. It could be seen as being extremely political in some ways. But, by the time we are brought to it, most have probably lost interest. The names of characters, the colors and other elements could hold very serious meaning to those us of today. It all depends how one interprets the film. This much is clear; a major issue of the film is how people deal with grief. This is something M. Night has dealt with before in his previous films. The issue is always brought up, but exactly what the comment is, is not always clear. Perhaps, that is because grief is such a heavy handed issue to explain it, would not give it justice.
The film tries hard, and comes up slightly short. There is the possibility for many deep conversations to be brought about from it, however, I feel most would rather just move on. I hope Shyamalan does not turn into a one trick pony. To continue making films where the viewer is more intent on figuring out and waiting for a twist, rather than being engaged in the story, could be career suicide.
Grade: C+
Written by David Bohnert