Scary...

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2002)

I've read many of the comments on this movie and while they don't "spoil" the story completely, they do make too many references to other movies, one in particular, which could make the impact of this story less effective. I think The Others is unique. When you consider how predictable storylines are today, after seeing this one you'd have to give it some credit. I give it a lot of credit. And, this is on the story alone. The movie is beautiful. The use of lighting is fantastic. Pay attention to the scenes in the dark, especially when Kidman is carrying a candle while searching for the others. The candle could not possibly create the lighting you see. To me it's like a painter on a canvas with the light, but it's transparent and skillful, so you hardly notice it. It's difficult for me to explain. It's unapologetic and true to life, the story and the occurrences, which I find rare in film today, especially in the States. There are no judgements on what happens or what happened in the storyline. The ideas of morality and good and bad seem to be dead and buried once the movie ends. This makes the story even more chilling. There are no clear-cut endings or explanations. This is why I find it so good. It seems the majority of the viewing public want popular justice and easily understandable and predictable endings and plots. The references to this movie being like another movie, I think, are true because the stories are of a similar topic, but more importantly because they're both powerfully independent and true to themselves. You know when you see these films because they affect you profoundly and are difficult to shake off. You find yourself thinking about them for days and watching multiple times. Horror/Suspense is my favorite genre and I'd easily say I've seen every popular horror movie and many, many of the rarer sort in the genre. This one is great. 10 out of 10.