The
lowdown: Produced in 2001 and directed by Alejandro Amenábar,
'The Others' stars Nicole Kidman as Grace
Stewart, who lives with
her two children in a mansion on the island of Jersey in 1945. The Nazi
occupation of the
Channel Islands has recently
ended, and her husband Charles (played by Christopher Eccleston) is a British
soldier
who has gone missing in
action and is presumed to be dead. Grace's children are sensitive to light,
and cannot be
exposed to the sun, so the
house is always in darkness, and Grace insists on locking each door as
they move
around the house in order
to protect the children.
Grace and the children detect
the presence of people who they can hear but cannot see, which they call
"intruders",
and then a mysterious trio
of servants appears and seem to know a great deal about Grace and her family.
Strange
events begin to occur, such
as curtains being opened for no reason, and eventually all of the curtains
in the house
are taken down, putting
the children in great peril. Grace encounters her husband when walking
in the mist, and he
returns home but after a
brief reunion in which he seems cold and distant, he announces that he
must return to the
front. When Grace awakens
the next day, Charles is gone. Events begin to unfold quickly, as the three
mysterious
servants help Grace to understand
the truth, with one shocking revelation after another.
The
verdict: 'The Others' is an excellent psychological horror film
that keeps the tension and suspense building
until the surprise revelation
at the end. The superb script, excellent cast and haunting atmosphere of
the big, dark
house make for compelling
viewing. However, like 'The Sixth Sense' it loses a lot of the impact on
second viewing.
The surprise ending is indeed
a surprise the first time you watch it, and unlike that Bruce Willis film
there are few
clues during the film as
to what is really going on. Christopher Eccleston only has a small role
in 'The Others',
although he does a great
job as the shell-shocked war veteran, but Nicole Kidman is the star, in
perhaps her best
acting performance.
Quote:
Grace:
You can't go. Why did you go and fight that stupid war that
had
nothing to do with us. Why didn't you stay like the others did?
Charles:
The others surrendered.
Grace:
We are all surrendered. What did you expect? |
Video
Clips:
Charles
returns (6.6mb)
Charles
and his children (4.4mb)
Returning
to the front (6.9mb) |
|
|
