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The Others
Director/screenwriter Alejandro Amenábar displays impressive skill as a cinematic storyteller with 2001's The Others, a consistently suspenseful tale of the supernatural that unfolds so delicately and provides just enough red herrings that the viewer is consistently scratching his head trying to figure out exactly what's going on while being unable to keep their eyes off the screen.
The setting is 1945 in the Channel Islands, where the viewer meets Grace, a woman who lives in large mansion, devoid of any creature comforts, with her son and daughter, awaiting for her husband to return from the war. It is immediately revealed that the children are photosensitive and cannot be exposed to bright light as a trio of servants for whom Grace advertised, arrive to work at the mansion. A series of bizarre phenomena find Grace slowly coming to believe that this mansion might be haunted.
Amenabar's story displays influence from horror classics from the 60's like The Innocents and The Haunting, but puts his own stamp on the story through the very methodical unfolding of the story through the use of subtle plot elements, some of which offer major clues to what's going and others that are thrown in to throw the viewer off the scent. It is immediately established that Grace is a devoutly religious woman and how important it is to her that all the doors in the house be kept closed. The first real clue for this reviewer was when it was revealed that servants who arrive to help came on their own because Grace's advertisement was never published. Of course, this was only the tip of the iceberg that everything was not as it seemed here.
The unfolding of this story is so effective because it provides an uncanny combination of suspense and instaneous "boos" without giving away exactly what was going on. This film had me riveted to the screeen, while making my head spin trying to figure out exactly what was going on here, demanding my undivided attention that Amenabar obtained complete control of until the ingenious climax.
The film is rich with inventive camerawork, which forces the viewer's focus to dart about with a surprising lack of discipline because we're made so impatient to get to the bottom of the suspense. Amenabar even composed the appropriately creepy music that frames the story. The performances serve the story, especially Nicole Kidman's icy performance as Grace and Finnoula Flanagan as the housekeeper, Mrs. Mills, but the real star of this film is its director and writer, who shows unparalleled skill at spinning a truly gothic tale that keeps the viewer on the edge, physically and mentally.
Director/screenwriter Alejandro Amenábar displays impressive skill as a cinematic storyteller with 2001's The Others, a consistently suspenseful tale of the supernatural that unfolds so delicately and provides just enough red herrings that the viewer is consistently scratching his head trying to figure out exactly what's going on while being unable to keep their eyes off the screen.
The setting is 1945 in the Channel Islands, where the viewer meets Grace, a woman who lives in large mansion, devoid of any creature comforts, with her son and daughter, awaiting for her husband to return from the war. It is immediately revealed that the children are photosensitive and cannot be exposed to bright light as a trio of servants for whom Grace advertised, arrive to work at the mansion. A series of bizarre phenomena find Grace slowly coming to believe that this mansion might be haunted.
Amenabar's story displays influence from horror classics from the 60's like The Innocents and The Haunting, but puts his own stamp on the story through the very methodical unfolding of the story through the use of subtle plot elements, some of which offer major clues to what's going and others that are thrown in to throw the viewer off the scent. It is immediately established that Grace is a devoutly religious woman and how important it is to her that all the doors in the house be kept closed. The first real clue for this reviewer was when it was revealed that servants who arrive to help came on their own because Grace's advertisement was never published. Of course, this was only the tip of the iceberg that everything was not as it seemed here.
The unfolding of this story is so effective because it provides an uncanny combination of suspense and instaneous "boos" without giving away exactly what was going on. This film had me riveted to the screeen, while making my head spin trying to figure out exactly what was going on here, demanding my undivided attention that Amenabar obtained complete control of until the ingenious climax.
The film is rich with inventive camerawork, which forces the viewer's focus to dart about with a surprising lack of discipline because we're made so impatient to get to the bottom of the suspense. Amenabar even composed the appropriately creepy music that frames the story. The performances serve the story, especially Nicole Kidman's icy performance as Grace and Finnoula Flanagan as the housekeeper, Mrs. Mills, but the real star of this film is its director and writer, who shows unparalleled skill at spinning a truly gothic tale that keeps the viewer on the edge, physically and mentally.