The Village
Matinee Price
One thing I always find rewarding about M. Night
Shyamalan's films is that they bear up well under
analysis. They invite discussion at the depths
of an art film, but with the accessibility of a
big Hollywood film. While none of his films
since have matched The Sixth Sense for pure
clarity and craft, The Village takes a moderately
high concept and sells it effectively as an
intimate thriller.
In discussions, I found some folks missed key
connections that others had found obvious, and
the affection level for the film appears to
follow this curve precisely. This affection
hinges on the perception of the film underneath
the plot. If you take all the clues and spread
them out on a table, very little in this film
defies explanation. I found it delicious to go
back and revisit scenes in my mind with
information obtained later in the film. "oh, so
he's got Š" and "I see, the thing there I forŠ"
Et cetera. One scene, with claustrophobically
close camera work,gained momentum even more so
after it was over; this same scene elicited gasps
of reaction from the audience which exceeded any
reaction at all from audiences in Troy.
Bryce Dallas Howard is given short shrift in the
previews because, for my money, this is her
movie. Joaquin Phoenix is supposedly the name to
draw the young folks in, and smart-movie
stalwarts Sigourney Weaver and William Hurt are
strong foundations, but Ron's daughter Bryce is
simply fabulous. The rest of the idyllic Village
residents fade behind her steely and vulnerable
beauty, happy to remain ruled (and protected) by
fear. Fear and faith. The younger generation
(Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody) have
faith in the protection afforded them by the
village's boundaries, but the mythology that
gives the boundary power is entirely grounded in
fear. As outsiders, we can see that it is
mythology, artificial symbols protecting from an
unseen danger; it's in every culture, modern and
primitive, as is the very thing these people hope
to escape.
Yet the titular habitation appears designed to
eliminate terror. Watchtowers, lit peripheries,
systems and drills and safety measures, which
only serve to remind one of the eve-present
danger. Sound familiar? Of course, their terror
level is perpetually at yellow, but they are a
simpler folk. The simplicity of their homespun
lives, their slow, deliberate movements and
speech, everything feels safe and solid. Yet,
superstition and un-nameable bogeys (not unlike
the You-Know-Who moniker of Harry Potter's
Voldemort gaining power by being unspeakable)
dictate every aspect of these people's lives.
Joaquin Phoenix is fine in his role. I have
never warmed to him as a performer, but I believe
that he believes in what his role is
experiencing, and that is enough; Howard takes me
the rest of the way. Adrien Brody exhibits a
gentle genius as the mentally disabled Noah,
whose disease is more alien to his peers than
even they know.
Director of photography Roger Deakins has the
most sensitive eye in the business, with subtle,
delicate shifts in light and color forming the
most powerful images. An outstretched hand in
the darkness, indistinct forms looming beyond in
shadow, it gives me chills. Shyamalan's
requisite cameo and sole reaction shot will be
lost on video. Deakins' painting with light
deserves big screen viewing.
Ever-Shymalan collaborator James Newton Howard's
score to the Village is equally as lovely and
delicate as Deakins' imagery. It matches the
peaches and cream complexion of Howard's Ivy and
the complexity of the mid-film dilemma. A great
score in theory should never be noticed, but I
found myself straining to hear it nonetheless.
Shyamalan has sort of trapped himself with The
Sixth Sense and Unbreakable and Signs (to a
degree; that revelation was more the completion
of a circle), creating an audience expectation of
a Big Twist. I am sure Night did not set out to
be a cinematic O. Henry, and what some might call
the "obligatory surprise" in The Village is what
I would only call a new level. This film is
about faith and fear and balancing those to have
a whole life. Some information must be withheld
from the audience to build empathy with a
character, but the fascinating story underneath
is only grazed by the script.
If you have not yet seen The Village, don't
listen to the people around you - everyone seems
to get something different from this film. (They
used to call that "art.") In my experience, even
having had an impression of what ended up being a
revelation, the mystery of the village unfolds in
such a way that it rewards the careful viewer.
For one who suspends her disbelief as willingly
as I do, The Village was a treat even when I
spoiled it for myself.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These reviews (c) 2004 Karina Montgomery. Please
feel free to forward but credit the reviewer in
the text. Thanks. You can check out previous
reviews at:
http://www.cinerina.com and
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Critics Society
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