The Village Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)August 2nd, 2004
"The Village"
There is something lurking in the Covington Woods and the folks living in the adjacent valley have maintained a truce with the creatures – the folks in the little hamlet will stay out of the woods and "those we don't speak of" will leave them alone. The truce holds for many years until one headstrong young man plans to cross the forbidden border and seek out the distant towns for medicines to help "The Village."
I, as most who saw it, was blown away by the surprise ending of "The Sixth Sense" and by the complex puzzle of "Unbreakable." I was less than thrilled by M. Night Shymalan's last outing, "Signs," mainly because of Mel Gibson's wooden performance and by the fact that I was growing tired of the writer-director's self-possessing cleverness. I wanted, from the man, more maturity in his storytelling and his filmmaking in this, his latest outing.
I was a little skeptical about "The Village," especially after being subjected to a three hour mock documentary by Nathaniel Kahn ("My Architect: A Son's Journey") that, a la "The Blair Witch Project," attempts to present an intimate, behind the scenes look into Shymalan and the secrecy shrouding his work. I didn't fall for it and rather resented the attempt to dupe movie-goers with a manufactured myth and legend of the colorful M. Night. It was with this bitter taste in my mouth that I awaited a viewing of "The Village."
Things start of in an idyllic fashion as we wander through Covington, a small village that exists in a time before the advent of computers, telephones, airplanes and cars. All of the inhabitants of the town, following the funeral of the son of one of their elders, August Nicholson (Brendan Gleeson), join in a communal meal to commiserate with the grieving father and to give thanks for the bounty they have. But, when Lucius Hunt declares his intention to leave the village and cross the forbidden zone where no man can go things start to happen and fear of the mysterious creatures in the woods grips all.
"The Village" is what I hoped for. M. Night has crafted a tale that leads you blithely down one path as he presents us with the villagers and their chosen isolation in their charming hamlet. He builds suspense as Lucius breaks the rules and brings the wrath of the creatures of the wood upon the town. Animals are found skinned and mauled. The creatures, hideous beasts with long, sharp claws and porcupine-like giant quills protruding from the body, come into the village at night, striking terror in the hearts of all of the villagers.
While the story represents a good suspense thriller and keeps you interested (and, maybe, guessing) until the anticipated surprise, there is something else that needs to be noted, too. In a film blessed with so many veteran actors – William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Joachim Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Brendan Gleeson, Cherry Jones, Celia Ward and others – one performance stands out. Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron Howard, makes her starring debut and it is a doozy. She plays Ivy, the blind daughter of elder Edward Walker (William Hurt). Though blind her whole life, Ivy's other senses, and her tomboy personality, help her overcome her handicap and make the feisty, strong-willed young lady the perfect life companion for Lucius. Howard gives such a mature, seasoned performance one would think she has been doing this stuff for decades.
The rest of the cast is equal to the task and, even with the stilted and ponderous dialogue, they pull off the desired effect. This is the biggest production to date for Shymalan and there is a degree of artifice to the look and feel of the film. The helmer is helped greatly by his technical staff. Roger Deakins brings his master's eye to the lensing and creates a look that is beautiful on many levels. The idyllic warmth of the village during the day is replaced with the fire-illuminate town at night as the village folk dutifully watch the forest for signs of the creatures. Costume, by Ann Roth, brings out a late 19th century rustic flavor, as does production designer Tom Foden.
Shymalan's script has the clever crafting that we expect from the auteur but forgoes the "look how genius I am" of his previous work. I think that the writer-director finally realizes that we, the movie going public, understand his intelligence and he hunkers down to some interesting story-telling. As in his other films there is a surprise twist that too much story synopsis might give it away. Suffice it to say that he surprised me.
"Unbreakable" is Shymalan's best work to date (in my mind) and I'm still impressed by the audacity of "The Sixth Sense." But, "The Village" shows that he has matured both as a storyteller and a filmmaker. I give it a B+.
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