Release Date: August 10, 2001
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Alakina Mann, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy
Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar
Written by: Alejandro Amenabar
Distributed by: Miramax Films
MPAA Rating: R (graphic war violence, sexuality)
In the motion picture industry, many films have been recycled from earlier work -- no matter how often studios sell their productions as completely original, it's just as often very apparent as to where many of the ideas came from. In The Others, for example, Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar came close to creating an outright carbon copy of the smash ghost-story thriller The Sixth Sense. But the writer-director put enough of his own spin on the story, and told it uniquely enough to create his own original, eerie piece.
The supernatural elements of The Sixth Sense are what made it one of 1999's most popular films, and in the moviemaking business, it's smart to capitalize on past successes -- provided you can add your own twist on the idea. Writer-director Amenabar did that by setting his spooky tale in England at the close of World War II, where Grace (Nicole Kidman) lives with her two children in a large, secluded house on the island of Jersey. When three new housekeepers arrive to work there one day, we learn Grace's children have a severe case of photosensitive allergies and cannot be exposed to any light stronger than that of a candle. Soon strange things start happening, and because the house is kept in complete darkness, the stage is set for a very haunting film.
Amenabar, a young filmmaker whose credits are all Spanish, can even be compared to Sixth Sense writer-director M. Night Shyamalan as far as his technique is concerned. Both seem to have a strong knowledge of acting, lighting, and storytelling. Amenabar got newcomer child actors Alakina Mann and James Bentley to perform much better than most actors of their age, much as Shyamalan did with Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. Nicole Kidman also gave a near-flawless performance as the strict mother and employer who seemed to be almost too protective of her light-sensitive children. She simply won't believe that her house is haunted, and she carries much of the film with her stern beliefs and actions.
Given that the children are photosensitive, the lighting in The Others is very significant, and Amenabar and his cinematographer were well aware of this. They framed and lit each scene very well, and because the children must live in darkness, the dim-lighting was crucial not only to their health but to the film's haunting ambiance. This, coupled with the facts that we can only see the children in darkness and that most of the supernatural incidents are witnessed only by them, makes the setting very surreal. Along those lines, Amenabar could have made the film scarier, but he stuck more to a believable story rather than concentrating on making the audience jump.
Like M. Night Shyamalan must have done with Sxith Sense, Amenabar started with his ending and worked from there. It worked a little better for Shyamalan because he crafted an engaging, believable film from the start and then pulled out the surprise ending. For the most part, Amenbar did this too, but he leaves too much in question during the middle of the film. This will inspire many people to see the movie again -- also a filmmaker's goal -- but he could have focused more on making the entire film more enjoyable instead of teasing the viewer with an excess of open storylines. Many of these stories were eventually cleared up (like Grace's husband returning from war, or the three housekeepers discreetly conspiring about something) but they created a sense of doubt you don't necessarily want to have in the middle of your movie.
Otherwise, Amenbar had a great premise by taking elements of The Sixth Sense and putting them into a more classic horror setting like the huge Victorian mansion. Additionally, he put a lot of effort into it, from writing the script to composing the score, and it showed. Other copycat filmmakers should take note, because that's the trick to successfully recycling an idea in Hollywood.
all contents © 2001 Andy Zientek