Inrus. ROUGH NOTES
by Jon Dunmore © 23 S


When splash-phrases say annoying things like, "superbly-mounted thriller" they're talking about THE VILLAGE. They just don't know it.

The inhabitants of an Amish-styled village lead an idyllic old world existence - except for the monstrous beings that stalk the surrounding forest, with claws that could rip out their intestines. Kind of how the Amish think of us normal technological humans.

The people hold an uneasy truce with the monsters: they don't venture into the forest and in return, the monsters don't rip out their intestines. The color red is banned in the village, as it draws the beasts; ocassionally, chilling ululations are heard from the forest, or a small animal is found dead near the treeline - reminders of the beasts' presence.

The village is led by elders Walker (William Hurt), Alice (Sigourney Weaver), August (Brendan Gleeson) and others, who impose strict old world ethics and rules on the youngfolk, who include Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) and Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard, now coming into her own as an actress, not just "Ron Howard's daughter"); there is also a very young Jesse Eisenberg and a village idiot, played poignantly by Adrien Brody.

We learn this is a modern group of people, their exile self-imposed by the elders after searing tragedies befell them in outside society - loved ones killed for pathetic, unnecessary reasons, simply because of society's complications.

THIS PART EARLY: the beauty of THE VILLAGE is in its ionterpersonal details. the way tht these peple react to each other and how they interact with one another . The story is almost secondary to their emotions - givew all those examples. Subtleties, nuances, shades of beauty, shadings,

Written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, THE VILLAGE is not as striking as his previous efforts (SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE), yet that is no reason to vilify created so artfully A storyteller for another age - the WAY he tells his stories in moving picutres is so elegant, it is like a book coming to life. He gets vilified more than he deserves. When there are still people making SyFy dreck like GIANT PYTHON etc. and this artist is giving you his all in hthese beautiful stories btought to he screen. people are excpecting that they WANT big stupid monsters like ---- and they want to see killer like HOSTEL Aand jASON - peope are not used to stories any more - Night's "failure" is actually a sign of our times and WE as failures to appreciate. Yes, there have been bad movies from Night - HSAPPENEINDG And AIRBENDER, but these would come after VILLAGE,. throwing up his hands - "you people don't appreciate what I'm doing, okay, heres' some REAL shit."
The romantic relationships in the village'sold world ethics bring a repressed kind of courting into play, and relationships mimic the strictures of the old world ethics these people aspire to

All is not as it seems with the monsters, all is not as it seems with the elders, and all is not as it seems regarding the outside world.

the shot where he grabs her hand as she reaches into the darkness, we can see a grim reaper out-of-focus in the distance approaching. Suddenly, from out of fram, Joaquin's hand Cut to slomo - baroque violin soundtrack - desperate, yet romantically so - as he leads her to the cellar one stap ahead of the monsters. Insert of their hands clasped tightly. In the cellar, she notices their hands are still entwined. Beautiful.

adrien brody magnificent as the village idiot.

Joaquin says to Sigourney - "I know he likes you - he feels deeply for you"
"How do you know that"
"because he never touches you"
Beautiful!

wHEN HIS prediction is proven right, she puts out her hand and it is ignored - anyone else would have come away feeling hurt or rejected, but she is beaming, beause she knows the truth about his feelings. Beautiful - what a storyteller - of people and interactions!
at the wedding when peple are dancing indiscriminately with everyone - in the crowd rush, she puts out her hand - and she knows - as we do - that he wil be there grab it and lead her from danger.

on a quiet night, omonous fog in the distance, she says why are on this porch. The interplay she tKES THE INTITIATIVE AND asks, "will you dance with me at our wedding, I find dancing very agreeable" he goes on a long tirade
she says, "why cant you say whats in your mind?
He counters, "why can't you stop sayinv whhats in yours""
long tirade and ends with thats is why I am on this porch - because I fear fof your safety above all others and the last thing he says is "yes, I wil dance with you on our wedding night" and incredible roundabout wayo of two people exposing their feelings - when they move in for a kiss, the camera pans away to a rocking cvhair on the porch

When Bryce tells him We used to hold hands all the time and you stopped.
"sometimes we dont do things we want to do so that others wont know we want to do them"
That's why that part where he grabs her hand to ead her to the cellar is so powerful, a statement.
when lucius confesses to going into Covington woods, Hurt comes to him, tears edging both their eyes, "do not fret, you are fearless in ways I can never know" and he's not talking about going into the woods- he's talking about the CONFESSION! SO GOOD!