The Village

By James C. Hess

The writer Robert Bloch ("Psycho") once noted, correctly, that horror is the removal of masks.

Superficially this observation is self-explanatory: We wear masks in our daily lives, and when we remove them we reveal our true selves.

Or do we? Given a certain measure of consideration and examination one finds there is more to this remark that just an observation of the human condition and related fragility: Remove a mask one wears for whatever the reason and reveal. . . what?

Horror, perhaps?

As to what type of horror found on the other side of the mask in question--well, consideration and contemplation of that could easily and readily to go make for a doctoral thesis in psychology, and just now such things are hubris. Just now a simplified examination of what is on the other side of that mask is what is important. It is an examination that film- and movie-makers readily tackle and one that few succeed at.

So when a film- or movie-maker comes along who can tackle this topic, this issue, and come out of it with success in hand, it is best to pay attention to what it is they have done, how they did it, and what it means for you, as you hide behind your chosen mask.

Forgive me: The film-maker in question is M. Night Shyamalan, the writer-director wonder who has successfully taken on removing masks for years now and revealing what waits beyond for one and all.

His latest film, "The Village", is superficially a movie that many a critic and reviewer will quickly dismiss, owing much to the minimalistic premise, which, admittedly, is thin and weak overall. But just below the surface, just at the edges of the frame, is where this film finds its strength and takes place and takes off for dark corners and places otherwise unknown.

The story opens with a funeral attended by all who live in a specific village, followed by a great meal of corn on the corb and other foodstuffs readily found in a time and place long ago and far away. By way of this gathering we come to learn of those who inhabit the village and come to learn, perhaps, things we should not know: The patriarch Edward Walker (William Hurt), his daughter, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard; daughter of actor-director Ron Howard), a young man who is determined to go beyond the boundaries of the village, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), his widowed mother, Alice (Sigourney Weaver), the village idiot (Adrien Brody), and several others it is best left unnamed; Walker is a judicious man, his daughter, Ivy, though without sight, sees things other do not, Lucius Hunt desires to know more than just his world within the village, his mother desires Love again, and the aforementioned idiot is not quite as thick as some might otherwise assume.

Beyond the village there is the forest. It is a great forest, for we cannot see through it to the other side. In the forest there live vile, hostile, apparently mean and terrible creatures who dress in red and have claws of twigs. They are deemed Those We Do Not Speak Of.

And why do the villagers not speak of them? Patience. In time all questions are answered, and are achieved with the removal of masks, literal and figurative.

There are watchtowers at the edges of the villages, and flares burn through the night. The reason for all this? To keep Those We Do Not Speak Of at bay. That is, they would stay in the forest and out of the village by way of a truce, but Lucius, in his curiosity to know more, has threatened it. Of course, by threatening the truce he puts the villagers in harm's way.

Then something terrible happens to someone in the village. Their injuries require medical care, so Edward Walker sends someone to 'the towns' to bring back needed medicines.

And who is that someone? His blind daughter.

And why did he pick her to do this? Recall, please: Although she is blind she sees things others do not.

To add urgency to this note the following: Ivy would like to marry Lucius. She tells him as much. He does not respond immediately, but loves her all the same. The village idiot also has an interest in Ivy, but her interest in him is not the same.

"The Village" is a work by M. Night Shyamalan. This is an important fact, because as anyone who has seen one of his films or movies knows, his horror is not traditional, and has a decided tendency toward solemn music, muted colors, and secrets that require quick and certain recall to events in the past: All of which go to the removal of masks and revelation.

I know there will be those who will go see this film expecting something along the lines of "Signs" or "The Sixth Sense". I suggest you set aside these expectations. To do otherwise is to bring disappointment down on yourself.

And when witnessing a film such as "The Village" disappointment is the last thing you want.

Especially when it comes time for you to remove your mask.

About the Author:

James C. Hess graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature, with an emphasis on Editorial Journalism and Film Studies.

Hess currently makes his home along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies.

Article courtesy of http://www.suite101.com.