Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Brendan Gleeson, Judy Greer
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producers: Sam Mercer, Scott Rudin, M. Night Shyamalan
Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan
Cinematography: Roger Deakins
Music: James Newton Howard
U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Note: This review comes as close as I can manage to being spoiler-free. However, given the nature of Shyamalan's films, and the fact that I reveal a few things, those who want a "virgin" experience should abstain from reading the review until they have seen the movie.
The Village is writer/director M. Night Shyamalan's attempt to combine the Brothers Grimm with The Twilight Zone. Here, Little Red Riding Hood exchanges her crimson cape for a yellow one, and has to worry about the Big Bad Wolf long before she gets to Grandmother's House. Shyamalan crafts the movie to be high on tension but low on scares and action (although there are a couple of legitimate jump-in-your-seat "boo!" moments). And, for this film to really work, the viewer has to be willing to go pretty high on the suspension of disbelief curve. The film only works if Shyamalan sucks you in.
Trick endings have become recognized as Shyamalan's trademark (somewhat unfairly - of his five previous movies, only two of them have featured big twists), so there's an expectation that The Village will deliver something in that arena. Such anticipation is unfortunate, since twists rarely work when the audience is looking forward to them. Actually, The Village doesn't feature a trick on the level of The Sixth Sense or Unbreakable. There are two or three revelations, but they're more in the line of surprising plot developments than major story contortions. It's possible to guess them ahead of time, and it's equally possible to enjoy The Village if you figure them out before they are explicitly revealed. That's the big difference between The Village and The Sixth Sense. The latter movie was utterly ruined if you put the pieces together before the last ten minutes; The Village holds together regardless.
The story opens in a late-19th century American village called Covington. (We know the date because it's inscribed on a fresh tombstone: 1897.) Everyone seems to be speaking and acting as if it was at least a century earlier. Their isolation from the world at large could be part of the reason. The village is surrounded by woods, and in those woods dwell Those We Don't Speak Of, inhuman creatures who do not take kindly to intruders. As long as the villagers don't attempt to enter the woods, they are safe. Or so it is thought until Those We Don't Speak Of are glimpsed within Covington's perimeter.
At the core of The Village is the love story between shy, verbally-challenged Lucius (Joaquim Phoenix) and blind Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard). Theirs is a fairy-tale romance, with her knowing from the beginning that they are fated to be together, and him coming to her rescue like a knight in shining armor. Ultimately, however, their relationship becomes an exercise in sacrifice and endurance, as Ivy must risk venturing into the unknown.
A number of fairly well-known names fill supporting roles. William Hurt is Edward, Ivy's father and the community's leader. Sigourney Weaver is Lucius' mother, one of Covington's elders. And Adrien Brody is Noah, the town idiot. The lion's share of screen time, however, belongs to relative newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard, the daughter of director Ron Howard. Her previous credits are largely confined to cameos in her father's films; this represents her first lead. It's a solid effort. Howard makes Ivy likeable and sympathetic, and shows the kind of grit and determination that enable us to believe that a blind woman could travel on her own through the woods. (That is the film's biggest contrivance. Whether or not you buy it will factor strongly in whether the film works for you.)
The Village is a strange choice for a would-be summer blockbuster. It moves slowly, and depends more on atmosphere than on plot or action. In a way, Shyamalan seems to be relying on his reputation to pull off one of his revelations. If you're thinking that The Village bears a resemblance to the aliens-invade-Earth tale of Signs, you're right where the director wants you. The Village does not stand up well to overanalyzation - that's where the suspension of disbelief element comes in. There are those who will scoff at the contrivances and chortle at the revelations. I am not among their number. While I detested the one-trick pony aspect of The Sixth Sense, I believe that Shyamalan has grown since then. His craft is much in evidence in The Village, and that ability allowed me to buy into his world for a couple of hours. But if Disney is expecting big box office numbers from The Village, they should prepare to be disappointed. This is the blockbuster equivalent of an art film, and its audience will be limited. However, for those who like the director's body of work, appreciate The Twilight Zone, and have a high suspension of disbelief threshold, The Village is likely to satisfy.
© 2004 James Berardinelli