A traditional ghost story that lacks impact.

Rating: Null/10 (17 November 2001)

`The Others' is, in essence, a typical ghost story. Swirling mist, eerie green light and mysterious piano playing all contribute to creating an effective ambience in which the characters experience strange going-ons.

Grace, played by Nicole Kidman, lives in a large isolated house on the island of Jersey in 1945. Her two children suffer from an allergy to light, doors are kept locked and curtains drawn in Grace's attempt to protect Anne and Nicholas from the sun's rays. (As a result much of the film is in dim light and the suspense is built up with the fumbling of keys trying to get in and out of rooms.) When three 'visitors' turn up at the house Grace receives them in and is grateful that they can now take the place of the servants who `mysteriously disappeared a few days ago'. Unfortunately not all her problems are solved when she discovers there are 'intruders' in the house.
The Others is not a bad film, on the contrary, the acting is faultless, the atmosphere suitably chilling and certain touches in particular are very effective; such as Grace's frantic search for the intruders to the backdrop of her daughter's bible reading, and the beautiful image of Grace as she stands against the wrought iron gates. The story line does, however, lack the structure and definition which have made similar films (namely The Sixth Sense) so memorable. The film seems to waver somewhere in the middle and as it nears the end the audience are almost craving a final momentous twist. When delivered, though, it fails to give the 'punch' that is expected and leaves the viewer less than satisfied.