Ah yes, this alternate telling of the same events does sound like a fine movie, maybe even better. But then “The Village” would not have been scary, and I think “The Village” gains something by having us dread needlessly in the exact same way that the offspring of the elders dread needlessly. Because we felt their dread—at nothing—we become indignant at the elders for what they have done (or we become indignant at the filmmaker). And because we have felt dread and unease, somehow the sorry lot of those born within the village becomes all the more pitiable. When I said the film was haunting, that was only half due to the suspense, and the other half due to considering the wasted lives of those born and dying in the Village. Because we were convinced of the reality of their surroundings, the way they were, we can’t imagine them being able to survive outside of it.
And of course we saw the movie from the viewpoint of the “children,” who all look to be in their late twenties or early thirties, but behave like teenagers, because Shyamalan is consciously trying to be the next Spielberg: a high-quality populist director who is still able to sneak meaning and deeper characterizations into multiplex films. And for whom are multiplex films typically geared? Teenagers.
Or “The Village” is just an attack on religion.
Copyright © 2004 Friday & Saturday Night
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