copperbeech: blog 
copperbeech's blog
film ~ the village
Published Jan 27, 2008
I enjoy M. Night Shyamalan's films for his willingness to press further into the human experience of the strange, both metaphysically and culturally. To that end, I found "The Village" to be more frightening with regard to the underpinnings of society than to any psychological or spiritual terror. Without giving too much away this film is about a group of people attempting to cope with, deny, and stave off further tragedy. What was perhaps most significant about this approach is that in approaching grief in this way the group regresses to what would be considered an archaic way of living, rather than transcends grief and moves on.
In this closed off society the young, blind Ivy seeks to venture through the wild unknown of the village's surrounding territory in search of medication for the sick among them. It is quite fitting in this context that the one who is the least tainted, the least obscured by boundaries of society or the way in which she experiences life to be the one who discovers the debilitating limitations society has imposed upon them all.
While I did not find "The Village" to be Shyamalan's best work, the film was well done. Suspenseful moments keep it lively while the details of 19th century living were well crafted. The cast was wonderful, all performances well done. Despite the film not being quite what is expected in theme or delivery, it's a notable feather in Shyamalan's cap, nonetheless.
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That movie was strange. I thought it was going to be a horror movie. Not so much. Very odd what the people did to stay out of society.
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