A film critique exploring the underlying meaning of SIGNS BY M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN

M. Night Shyamalan is a director and screenwriter renowned for such blockbusters as Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and The Village. All of them are characterised by a touch of philosophy. Another film of his, Signs, is not an exception. Apart from the usual fear of the unknown, Shyamalan introduces the themes of hope and faith in God and family solidarity, trying to impose a deeper meaning on an otherwise rather ordinary thriller.

To analyse the religious and family themes of Signs, it is necessary to summarise the plot briefly. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), a former Episcopal priest, lives with his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) and two children Morgan and Bo (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin) on a farm. As the audience find out from the flashbacks, Graham's wife died in a car crash caused by Ray Reddy (M. Night Shyamalan) some time ago. One day, crop circles appear in the maize field surrounding Graham's farm as they spread all over the world, creating a system of landmarks, and soon it is clear that there is an alien invasion going on. Graham's family stays in the house and although they do not avoid the final encounter with an alien, they survive, the aliens are forced to leave and Graham becomes a priest again.

In Signs, Shyamalan raised the issue of giving up our beliefs and hopes without realising their importance. It has been said that Graham used to be a priest. The reason why he turned away from God is simple – Graham could not get over the fact that God had let his wife die, whereas Ray still lived safe and sound in the neighbourhood. Thus, Graham lost all his faith in Providence, staying alone with two small kids. An atheist might consider such a train of thought ridiculous, but in fact, this is exactly what occurs to some believers on suffering a serious infliction. In this aspect, the film provides an accurate description of human nature. For many people, belief in God represents a certainty in the unpredictable world. Still, some of them, especially those who converted to religion later in their lives or the more pragmatic ones, feel betrayed and desolate when they experience a bad stroke of fate. The good and almighty God would not let anything like that happen to them, would he? He should be the one to protect them and stand by their side. The negative experience itself is then logically regarded as a conclusive proof of God's nonexistence. These people often stop believing at once, they become cynical and lose their hope, but even more – they are so firm in their new concept of life that they destroy the hopes of others, including their families. Graham is a shining example, even forbidding his family to pray before dinner. The family is naturally driven by fear of the approaching danger and turns to prayer as a symbol of the above mentioned certainty and hope. Nevertheless, Graham insists on his own truth so obstinately that he nearly ruins the unity of the family which appears to be equally important as retaining one's hope. Only when his son Morgan survives an alien attack with a toxic gas due to a  bout of asthma does Graham return to the faith in Providence.

Were Signs not disrupted by unsuccessful attempts at humour, which spoil the overall impression and outweigh the deeper thoughts presented, it would plausibly depict the inner struggle of a contemporary man without illusions who desperately yearns for hope at the same time. Unfortunately, however sophisticated the underlying meaning in the thriller may be, it cannot have any significant impact on the average audience reluctant to search for it under a thick layer of superficiality bordering on farcicality. Yet, a sensitive viewer might notice and appreciate Graham's gradual change that could be understood as a universal example of the spiritual quest of a present-day man.

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