The Village

With any M. Night Shyamalan movie, there is always a twist. I would kill anyone who spoiled that moment of revelation. So I shall be treading carefully.

The Village lives simple lives, of hard work, and gentle play. The people seem happy, and prosperous, and a hint staid. There is no clue that they are not simple, virtuous, and happy...until two girls spot a single sprig of scarlet Salvia. Their fear as they bury it is obvious.

We learn that the Village lives separate from the evil ways of the Towns. They are protected from those evils by the woods that surround them, unbroken, or more to the point, by what ever lives in those woods.

The village is surrounded by a ring of watch towers. They guard to see that Those We Do Not Speak Of do not come into the village. You can be assured that no one from the Village goes into the Woods.

Those We Do Not Speak Of are monsters. They live in the Woods, but they do not like people. They are attracted to the Bad Colour, red, and seemed repelled by the Safe Color, harvest gold. But they never venture into the Village as long as the rules are obeyed.

Until they do. Animals are found, mutilated. No one from the village would do that, there fore, it must be TWDNSO.

The terror builds as TWDNSO make their presence known. Scarlet marks are left on certain doors, and then, terror of terrors, the monsters come in. What has angered them? The sins of pride? Vanity? Has Noah the simpleton been in the woods? Or are they just hungry? Then something happens that changes everything, and a blind girl must journey alone and afraid into the woods to make her way to the Towns in search of the medicines that will save the man she loves.

Cast and Characters

William Hurt plays Edward Walker, the defacto leader of the Village. He speaks softly, but others quiet to hear him. He is a kind man, a patient man, and a man who takes the long view of things.

His daughter Ivy is played by Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard. She is blind, but sees so many things anyway. Wise, insightful, but also merry and bold, she is well loved by everyone, but by two in particular.

Lucius Hunt is played by Joachim Phoenix. Joachim is a fearless man, slow and methodical in his ways, silent and comfortable in the silence. He loves Ivy, but fears to show it.

Sigorney Weaver plays Alice Hunt, Lucius' mother. If Edward is the leading man, Alice is the leading woman. And they are very much in love. How does Lucius know this? "Because he never touches you."

Noah Percy is a halfwit brilliantly portrayed by Adrian Brody. Noah has delayed development, ADHD and impulse control issues. There are concerns that perhaps Noah has been playing in the Woods. But it also generally agreed that Those We Do Not Speak Of will recognize his innocence and have mercy upon him.

The Production

This movie is amazing. The Village looks like it is from the American East, Circa 1850. Clean and trim, it shows a character dedicated to simplicity and lack of ostentation. The colours are perfect; the subdued, muted, with two exceptions; Scarlet Red and Harvest Gold.

The musical score contributes much to this production. No one since Hitchcock has gotten more mileage out of creepy music to build tension.

For the rest, there are no bad performances. Annoying performances, yes, but that is how they were written and they are done wonderfully well. Shyamalan is a genius, and his direction is masterful. From the placid beginning, we move through their lives, the pace increasing with our understanding. And Shyamalan understood something the Hitchcock taught. He tells you, "I am going to scare you. I'm just not going to tell you WHEN."

So do I recommend this movie? Oh, most definitely. To quote Ed Walker, "I'm going to show you something. Try very hard not to scream."