The Village

Mr. M. Night Shyamalan has more than once proven his directing skills. He did it with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Happening and now with The Village. Nothing appealing about the title, you may say. And I would agree. But the plot, the idea before all, hiding behind the title is more than genuine. He did a pernickety job - keeping an eye on every single detail; leading every shot to its climax.

The movie premiered in 2004 and gained mostly negative critiques. It, as well, sparked the mind of audience with controversy. The plot focuses on a secluded village whose elderly inhabitants turned the clock back in time, in the 19th century. The idea of creating a serene spot far away from the spotlight was boiling in the mind of Edward Walker, one of the few elders in the village. Edward himself and other elders have tragically lost their loved ones by being shot, robbed, attacked.

That's where the idea came from - move away from the criminal bursting towns and form a secret, safe and peaceful spot. And it began.

As the movie progresses, a few of important facts come to light. The inhabitants of the village live in fear of the creatures that reside in the woods. Apparently, they've made a truce - the villagers don't step their foot in the woods while the creatures don't enter the village.

But they don't live happily ever after. All of a sudden, dead, skinned animals begin to appear in the village. All the blame lays in "Those We Don't Speak Of", the villagers say, referring to the creatures.

But is that the truth? What is the real truth? And the time for the first plot twist has come. The secrecy of the elders, I can say, has led to this twist. The way they act, talk, the way their eyes spark...

And that is not the only twist in the movie.

This thrilling movie with the snippets of horror is something new on the market, at least to me. The director and the writer, M. Night Shyamalan himself, managed to slip a love story in the plot. In this case, in this horror, that love story plays a greater role than the idea of the creatures and a secluded village. It beautifully shows that even in the horrifying, darkest times, love is the strongest emotion, the most powerful cure. In the end, all taken actions, all made decisions were for love's sake.

An overly unusual movie with a brilliant idea and perfectly chosen filming spot.