I See Village People

I decided to watch M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, The Village last night instead of going straight home. I was surprised to finish work at around 8pm, so I took advantage of this rare treat.

I agree with most of the reviews so far. The director is really skilled at setting up scares—his mastery of the medium means he can conjure up suspense and dread without showing anything explicit.

And he found another Haley Joel Osment; this time it’s Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron Howard. She gives a terrific performance as Ivy Walker, the blind girl who can see more than most people (nope, she does not “see dead people,” but she sees people’s “colors”). Her performance grounds the film and keeps it believable even when the twist—or should I say, twists—threaten to reduce the film to mere fluff. Come to think of it, the main twist in the movie is actually quite a stretch, but Bryce’s fearless and focused performance forces you to believe in her and forget for several minutes the implausibility of the surprise twist. Now that’s a sleight-of-hand trick worthy of an M. Night Shyamalan film.