The Village   
 

Ivy Walker: Bryce Dallas Howard

Lucius Hunt: Joaquin Phoenix

Noah Percy: Adrien Brody

Edward Walker: William Hurt

Alice Hunt: Sigourney Weaver

 

 

 

Written & Directed by

M. Night Shyamalan

 
With the early success and style of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, M. Night Shyamalan made a name for himself as the new master of suspense.  He provided chills and surprises that constantly kept viewers on the edge of their seats.  And with each new film he directs, it seems the pressure gets higher for Shyamalan to deliver his patented twist.

This is unfortunate because he is a skilled filmmaker who brings more to his movies than just the shocking endings.  This becomes apparent in The Village, although the lack of any real surprise plot development is sure to disappoint some viewers.

The Village examines the life of the people in a small, isolated community surrounded by woods.  The color red is forbidden in the village because it attracts "those we don't speak of" - vile creatures living beyond the boundaries.  According to the elders of the village, there is a pact that exists between the two.  The creatures don't enter the village and the people don't enter the woods.  It has always been that way.

We are soon introduced to Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), a quiet and fearless boy who requests to go through the woods and into the surrounding towns to being back medicines.  The death of a young boy he was close to inspires his bravery, despite the elders' cautionary tales about the woods and the towns beyond them.  He falls in love with Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard), a blind girl who is both wise and adventurous. 

Eventually, Ivy is the one that must make the trek through the woods, feeling that her blindness makes her innocent enough that the creatures will not harm her.  Her father, the lead elder, gives her some words of advice and must convince the others that her going was the right decision.

This is Bryce Howard's first starring role and she pulls it off wonderfully.  It's a complex role that requires Ivy to be at times compassionate, vulnerable, and strong.  It is an effective and promising debut.  Phoenix and William Hurt also contribute sound support in their important but less complex characters.  The real star here, though, is Shyamalan.  He always seems to get the most out of his actors in his quiet and introspective films and does so here, as well.

Shyamalan's direction is incredible.  He has the innate ability to make his movies chilling and the audience uneasy because of it, and you couldn't ask for anything more in suspense.  He uses drastic close-ups, odd angles, and slow, monotonous pans and zooms that have the effect of making each hair on the back of your neck stand up whether there is a frightening payoff or not.  Even when the camera is still, you expect something to venture on to the screen.   

This is the beauty of all his films, and The Village does not disappoint.  In addition to the tension he slowly ratchets up, the film slowly reveals itself to you scene by scene.  And, while the plot developments aren't the usual jaw-droppers of the past, the narrative takes you in a satisfying direction.   

It is a strong story that really examines the human psyche.  The elders of the town have all experienced great pain and loss in the towns before they came to the village.  The isolation has protected them.  But, eventually, the very things they were trying to escape manage to find their way back.  Is Shyamalan suggesting that this is essentially what human nature is?  The ending of the movie is more thought provoking than shocking and provides the most important questions the movie asks.  What is a greater motivator, fear or curiosity?  What should be?  It is only obvious that there are no clear answers.