The Village (2004)
Written By: SN
Edited BY: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producers: M. Night Shyamalan, Scott Rudin, et. al.
Screenwriter: M. Night Shyamalan
Date Released: July 30, 2004
Cast:
Bryce Dallas Howard as Ivy Walker
Joaquin Phoenix as Lucius Hunt
Adrien Brody as Noah Percy
William Hurt as Edward Walker
Sigourney Weaver as Alice Hunt
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The Village (2004) appears as a period film that follows the lives of residents in a secluded village residing deep within the woods and is ruled by a group of elders. It is soon learned that they are not to go past the woods and visit nearby towns because monsters known as “Those We Do Not Speak Of” will eat them except if they are of innocent intentions. However, after the death of Lucius Hunt’s (Joaquin Phoenix) friend, he asks permission from the leaders to go past the woods and visit the neighboring towns for supplies of better medicine. Despite his good intentions, his request was denied by his elders. Not long after, he becomes engaged with Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard) but gets stabbed by Noah Percy (Adrien Brody) out of jealousy. Now, it is up to Ivy to venture into the woods to save her dying lover.
Gore Factor
As with any other cult-themed films we’ve already seen, The Village did not shy away from a few dead animals, both for sacrificial reasons and not. When the “creatures” decided to taunt the villagers one night, livestock can be seen skinned and scattered all over the village, with some even hanging on doors. Aside from this, gore in the film can be considered on the conservative side since the story focuses more on the secrets of the village, its people, and what lies beyond the woods wherein it resides.
The Grave Review
Packing an all-star ensemble, one would expect a mind-blowing twist at the end of The Village, which in a way, the audience did get. Before Ivy sets out on her journey, it is revealed that the red-clothed monsters with long claws that they believe to be living in the woods were really the elders playing dress-up just to keep the residents of the village safe from the outside world. Add to that, the small village we’ve come to know in the last hour and 30 minutes is actually inside a wildlife reserve and is led by a group of elders traumatized by the horrors of injustice and violence that we live in now. They’ve chosen to live in a lie in order to preserve one thing – innocence.
Innocence in the presence of violence was ubiquitous throughout the film, which is more apparently seen with Adrien Brody’s portrayal of Noah Percy. He was one of the few characters with pure of heart, up until he stabbed Lucius Hunt after learning of Lucius and Ivy’s engagement. Brody’s portrayal of Noah is also just one of the few stellar acting performances of the ensemble. Relying less on bursts of emotion and long monologues, the actors chose to portray the emotions of the characters with their eyes. One perfect example would be the moment when Lucius realizes that Noah had stabbed him in the stomach. With extreme close up shots of both actors, one can really see their emotions seeping through the actors’ eyes and onto the audience’s screens – shock, melancholy, confusion, helplessness – all were felt without uttering a single word in that scene.
On another note, a pivotal line from the film that goes “Sometimes we do not do things we want to do so that others won’t know we want to do them” sparks the romantic touch in this thriller, giving its story line the humanity it needs in this cloud of terror and mystery surrounding it. This also gave mundane acts, such as touching one’s arm, a huge meaning between the main characters.
This simple yet meaningful act played a huge part in the story moving forward as it became the symbol of love between Lucius and Ivy. For example, when the “monsters” were about to attack the villagers and everyone was running to hide from them, Ivy waits for Lucius to come hide with them. Unbeknownst to her, a monster was creeping closer while she was at the door with her hand held out. At the knick of time, Lucius grabs her hand and leads her to safety with her family. Safe to say, this sequence can easily be considered to be one of the most beautiful and memorable scenes M. Night Shyamalan has ever filmed.
The Village (2004) was also beautifully made with its good use of color (yellow as the ‘safe color’, red as the ‘bad color’) making sure it stands out in a field of brown and gray when need be. Along with its brilliant musical scoring that earned it an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Music Score in 2005. With a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, the film was able to take its viewers on an emotional and cinematic journey in true Shyamalan fashion.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Village (2004) three graves out of five graves.
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