Ryan Daniel’s review published on Letterboxd:
“If he dies, all that is left of me will die with him.”
This is, without a doubt, one of the most misunderstood films of the past 20 years.
The first time I watched it earlier this year, I was on the fence about it. I went in expecting a terrible film, but I think that’s why I honestly couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was surprised by how much it didn’t suck compared to what people had said about it.
This film was marketed as a horror film with thriller elements, mostly because that’s what Shyamalan was known for up to that point for having made The 6th Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. The problem is that this isn’t a horror film, it’s a romance with horror/thriller elements, and although those horror sequences are done really well, it’s still mainly a romance movie.
It’s not the film people wanted Shyamalan to make and I think that’s a big reason it got so much hate. I saw once that someone said “The real twist was that the movie they wanted wasn't the one Shyamalan made” and I think that has a lot to do with it.
This may not be a horror movie but very few M. Night films actually give off the sense of fear in its characters that this one does. This movie is at its best when it’s characters confront trying to escape the pain and fear that comes with living in an established system. Because escaping a system causes another one to be built from the ground up, and eventually, that pain and fear will find those who leave. Or even be created by them. Regardless, it is present at all times.
However, that’s not the point of the story. The point of the story is to continue to keep your humanity in those times. Retaining hope and love is more powerful than the forces behind all fear and hate.
This film has amazing performances all around, especially from Joaquin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody and William Hurt. The cinematography was really great and the score was amazing.
M. Night’s decline began at Lady in the Water, not The Village, and I will die on this hill.
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